The Los Angeles Lakers have been linked to several former Luka Doncic teammates, including center Daniel Gafford and power forward P.J. Washington. While both players offer ample reason for intrigue, the Lakers' most logical trade with the Dallas Mavericks isn't actually for either player.
Instead, the Lakers' safest bet on the Dallas front is to reunite Doncic with a former teammate who plays along the perimeter: Naji Marshall.
Marshall, 28, is a five-year pro who's coming off of his best season as an NBA player. He averaged 15.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.8 three-point field goals made in 29.5 minutes per game, shooting 51.0 percent from the field and 58.7 percent on two-pointers.
Marshall shot just 29.1 percent from beyond the arc, which could scare the Lakers away from him as they pursue three-point marksmen, but there's considerable value at play.
Marshall is a shot-creating wing who can step into the Lakers' rotation and operate as their go-to scorer off the bench. While others have well-rounded skill sets, he has the ability and mentality to simply go out and put points on the board—something Los Angeles' reserves have struggled to do.
Compounded by the fact that Marshall is a stout defender on an expiring contract, whereas Gafford and Washington are paid long-term, there's far less risk in this potential trade.
Naji Marshall can resolve need for wing defender at a lower cost
Marshall finished the 2025-26 season ranked in the 93rd percentile in defensive matchup difficulty and the 98th percentile in defensive positional versatility, per Basketball Index. Even still, he ranked in the 91st percentile in perimeter isolation defense.
With the clearly established ability to be a lockdown wing defender, Marshall would check a critical box for a Lakers team in need of defensive stalwarts at the point of attack.
Furthermore, Marshall ranked in the 84th percentile in one-on-one shotmaking, per Basketball Index. He also shot 53.0 percent on drives, which makes him quite appealing for a Lakers team that needs to be able to create offense when Doncic and Austin Reaves aren’t on the ball, let alone the court.
Beyond the numbers, Marshall uses his 6'6" and 220-pound frame to drive the lane, get to his spots, and convert from midrange and in the paint.
The truth that seals the proverbial deal is that Marshall has an expiring $9,428,571 salary. By comparison, Gafford has three years and $54,380,290 remaining on his contract, while Washington has four years and $88,762,439 on his. To put it simply: Trading for Gafford or Washington would mean investing in their long-term fit based solely on how they played while Doncic was still in Dallas—a season-and-a-half ago.
With less long-term risk and the opportunity to check two crucial boxes in wing defense and bench scoring, Marshall is simply the safer trade target.
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