Recent buzz suggests that the Dallas Mavericks might be positioning themselves to trade P.J. Washington in the near future.
The Mavs traded for Zaccharie Risacher and extended Naji Marshall this offseason, adding to a wing corps that already includes Washington, Klay Thompson, Max Christie, and, of course, Cooper Flagg.
Is Washington going to be the odd man out? He's under contract for the next four seasons at a total of $88.8 million. That's really solid value for a rotational wing/starter-caliber player, which suggests Dallas should retain Washington rather than trade him.
Even so, you can't ignore the fact that Dallas is adding wings for a reason ... perhaps because they're planning on taking advantage of Washington's digestible contract by shipping it off to someone else for a pleasant return.
And at least one prominent Los Angeles Lakers observer, Jovan Buha, believes the Lake Show should totally get in on a Washington deal if and when he hits the market.
Jovan Buha believes the Lakers absolutely should try to trade for P.J. Washington
Buha said on Tuesday that he believes the Lakers, by adding Washington, would become the fourth-best team in the NBA behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and New York Knicks.
Washington already has chemistry with Luka Doncic
Buha reminded us that Washington was on the Doncic-led Mavericks team that reached the 2024 NBA Finals. In other words, it's proven that Washington is an effective player on a Doncic-led NBA team.
This is what convinced Buha to rate Washington above Jonathan Kuminga as a potential wing addition for the Lakers. While Buha acknowledged that Kuminga has a higher ceiling physically than Washington, Buha ultimately asserted that Washington is a surer bet, pointing to the '24 Finals run.
Would Washington really move the Lakers' needle THAT much?
Buha is definitely overselling the impact of a potential Washington trade. To think that his addition would make the Lakers the fourth-best team in the Association is a bit much. It's possible, but if that happened, it would probably be because so many other guys besides Washington are having nuclear seasons, starting with Doncic.
This doesn't mean that Buha isn't correct about the potential importance of adding Washington. I agree that Washington would be an excellent acquisition. Still, I do wonder how Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka would pull off a trade for Washington, given that his main trade chips at the moment are Jarred Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht -- two wings (one of them overpaid).
Why would the Mavericks want either of those two players if they're looking to get less wing-heavy? I like the idea of somehow acquiring Washington, but let's not act like the Lakers are P.J. Washington away from being a surefire Finals contender.
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