The Los Angeles Lakers continue to search for a starting forward to round out a massive roster overhaul. Though Jonathan Kuminga is the player to whom they've been most commonly linked, Lakers insider Jovan Buha has been at the heart of conversations that suggest P.J. Washington is the potential starter whom Los Angeles needs most.
Thankfully, the Dallas Mavericks' apparent interest in keeping Washington on the roster for the time being is a welcome development that could save Los Angeles from negotiating from a desperate position.
The Lakers have built a promising roster that centers around Luka Doncic, Quentin Grimes, Walker Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Austin Reaves, and Collin Sexton. There are other pieces of the puzzle, but the glaring absence from their projected starting lineup is a forward who can thrive at either the 3 or 4 spot on either end of the floor.
According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, there's a well-documented belief across several front offices that Washington is a trade candidate. Mavericks president Masai Ujiri, however, is reportedly "a fan of P.J. Washington."
"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."
Though that doesn't necessarily mean that Washington won't be traded, it seems to imply that Dallas is in no rush to move him—meaning Los Angeles can look elsewhere and revisit this discussion down the line.
P.J. Washington could be an ideal fit—but the Lakers need time to evaluate
Washington is an athletic forward who can space the floor, defend multiple positions, and play above the rim. He's also former teammates with Doncic. That all sounds ideal, but the harsh reality is that he still has four years and nearly $89 million left on his current contract.
There's a case to be made that Washington is worth the money, but the context here is that Los Angeles already handed out four-year deals to Grimes, Kessler, Mamukelashvili, and Reaves earlier this summer.
Running the risk of having five different players on four-year deals worth eight or even nine figures in overall money paid would be unavoidably risky. If any of them underperform, Los Angeles could be stuck—much as it is with forward Jarred Vanderbilt.
Trading struggling or injury-plagued players on long-term contracts is simply an expensive endeavor, assuming it can be done at all.
To make matters worse, the Lakers lack leverage in potential negotiations with the Mavericks. Yes, Dallas would benefit from clearing space in its rotation, but it doesn't necessarily need to offload Washington's contract with any sort of immediacy.
Los Angeles, meanwhile, is known to be in the market for a forward—and could be backed into a corner from which they not only take on a four-year deal, but give up more assets than would normally be necessary to acquire it.
With this in mind, the Lakers' best path forward is to avoid a trade for Washington until they're closer to the trade deadline. At that point in time, they'll have had a chance to scout him further, evaluate how their new players fit, and make an offer out of sheer interest rather than desperation.
Los Angeles still needs to identify a starter, but trading for Washington simply isn't worth the risk at this stage of the building process.
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