P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford have long been floated in trade rumors for the Dallas Mavericks. While both are solid role players, their long-term fit for a team that is logjammed on the wings and up front is questionable, at best. Despite that, Masai Ujiri Is making an attempt to not be trading from a position of weakness. That was evident in The Stein Line's latest rumor mill round-up.
"Ujiri, for the record, is also said to be a fan of P.J. Washington despite the long-held belief among many rival teams that Washington — like fellow Nico Harrison acquisitions Daniel Gafford and Klay Thompson — will remain a trade candidate."
You can be a fan of a guy all you want, but when you have a long list of players who need minutes at Washington's positions, it is tough to act like a trade is not inevitable. That is doubly true considering the Mavericks continued to add bodies at those spots this summer. They were also younger ones who fit better with the timeline of the franchise player in Dallas, Cooper Flagg.
Flagg, himself, would be competing for the same minutes as Washington, too. Even if the Mavericks manage to dump Klay Thompson, that still leaves a finite amount of room for P.J. to heavily factor on how Dallas deploys their troops. All of this is to say, if the Los Angeles Lakers were to come around on pursuing the former Luka Doncic running mate, Ujiri's stance of being a fan should be irrelevant.
Masai Ujiri's stance is thinly-veiled and the Lakers should see that
The Lakers still need to figure out who the other starting forward is going to be in Los Angeles next season. That has invited many people to connect Washington as a potential candidate due to the proven history of successfully playing alongside Doncic.
The four-year, near $88.8 million contract of the Mavericks forward has warranted pause from many. That deal is just going into effect for the 2026-27 season.
For the Lakers, absorbing Washington's deal onto their cap books is as simple as sending out Jarred Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht, from a financial standpoint. It is the additional compensation that would be the hold-up here.
Washington is a starting-caliber player in the NBA. The Mavs forward is the type of player who can complete their offseason gameplan, if the trade comes at the right price.
Ujiri has always been a tough negotiator dating back to his days with the Toronto Raptors. The Mavericks president will try his best to take the Lakers for everything he can squeeze out of any potential dealings. At the very least, Rob Pelinka should be calling his bluff on the fandom for Washington. That poorly-placed stance should not force any added compensation.
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