Los Angeles Lakers insider Jovan Buha has been making a compelling case for the acquisition of P.J. Washington in recent days. Buha has endorsed Washington as a player the Lakers should go all-in on as the missing piece to their puzzle, with his history of playing with Luka Doncic being one of several intriguing reasons.
Though the interest in Washington is understandable, the Lakers have a clear reason to ignore the hype: Jarred Vanderbilt and the contract they continue to struggle to move.
Washington is an athletic 4 who can space the floor, play above the rim, and defend multiple positions. Los Angeles is a generally complete team that has just one hole left in its starting lineup: Power forward, where they've been exploring their options.
Buha is a firm believer in the notion that Washington is the answer to their current predicament, with his latest claim being that adding him would make the Lakers the fourth-best team in the NBA.
For those who can't access the video at this time, Buha said the following:
"I believe, if the Lakers add P.J. Washington, they to me would be the fourth-best team in the NBA behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and New York Knicks...overall, I think Washington is a proven commodity. He's a more stable and consistent player [than rumored Lakers target Jonathan Kuminga]. And there's already the proof of concept with him next to Luka Doncic."
Everything Buha said is true—so much so that I previously supported the move. There's simply one factor that makes Washington too risky to invest in at this time: He's about to enter the first season of a four-year deal.
Jarred Vanderbilt is a reminder of how risky four-year contracts can be
2026-27 will mark the first season of the four-year, near $89 million contract extension that Washington signed with the Dallas Mavericks. As such, trading for him wouldn't just mean giving up assets to acquire his talent, but incurring the risk of a long-term deal.
Considering the Lakers are still attempting to trade Vanderbilt as he approaches the third season of his four-year deal, they can't lose sight of what's cost them in the past.
Los Angeles signed Vanderbilt to a four-year, $48 million contract extension that will run through the 2027-28 season if he accepts his $13,285,714 player option. Considering his market value isn't exactly what it used to be after several injury-plagued seasons, there's reason to believe he will.
That ultimately consumes precious cap space for a Lakers team that's already paying significant money across four seasons to four different players.
Lakers can't afford to take on another four-year deal
Earlier this summer, Los Angeles re-signed Austin Reaves to a four-year, $180 million contract. It also signed Walker Kessler to a four-year, $130 million deal, brought in Quentin Grimes at four years and $60 million, and acquired Sandro Mamukelashvili for four years and $52 million.
In other words: The Lakers will owe an average of upwards of $100 million per season to four players already—and that doesn't even include franchise player Luka Doncic, who could sign a lucrative extension that begins in 2028-29.
With this in mind, the Lakers can't afford to take on another player who has four years left on their contract. Suppose any one of the aforementioned players suffers an injury or fails to fit with the team. Outside of Doncic, they'd instantly become difficult to move as apron-fearing teams scoff at the idea of taking on multiple years of guaranteed salary—particularly if it transpires after a down season.
Adding Washington's average salary of $22,190,610 across four fully guaranteed seasons would only make moving off of unfriendly salaries a bigger challenge.
P.J. Washington has experience next to Luka Doncic—but it's limited
The counterpoint, as Buha noted, is that Washington has experience playing alongside the franchise player. During their time together, they helped the Dallas Mavericks make a memorable run to the 2024 NBA Finals. With this in mind, there's reason to believe they could make this pairing work once again.
The problem with the conversations about Washington's experience next to Doncic is simple: It was relatively short-lived and not quite as free-flowing as one might think.
Between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, Washington played 1,132 minutes with Doncic on the court and 1,638 minutes without him. During that time, he shot 31.9 percent from beyond the arc when Doncic was present and 38.2 percent when he wasn't. That's not necessarily a reason to slam the door shut on this discussion, but with a four-year deal factored in, it's tough to overlook.
Washington is an exciting player who may very well be the missing piece for the Lakers, but as Vanderbilt has shown, moving an unfriendly four-year contract is a tall task. It thus isn't worth the risk.
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