The Los Angeles Lakers have officially welcomed Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes, Walker Kessler and Jaden Hardy to the team, and still await the official word on both Collin Sexton and Kevon Looney. In the meantime, the Lakers still have work to do to complete their roster, namely, getting a starting-caliber forward. One name that has been floated is a former Luka Doncic teammate, Dallas Mavericks forward PJ Washington.
Washington fills a natural need as a starting-caliber power forward who is a proven fit next to Doncic. He’s a willing shooter — although inconsistent — and has been a net positive defender for his career. However, he has four years and $88.8 million remaining on his contract, which is giving the Lakers some hesitation, according to Khobi Price of The California Post:
The Lakers have long been tied to trade rumors with Mavericks forward PJ Washington, a former teammate of Doncic’s in Dallas, but the fully guaranteed $88.8 million Washigton’s owed over the next four years isn’t appealing to the Lakers.
It’s unclear exactly how eager the Mavericks are to get away from his contract, but their surplus of forwards has sparked trade rumors in recent days. Washington makes $19.3 million in 2026-27, meaning the Lakers would have to send out at least $11.8 million in salary in order to make it a legal salary match. Jarred Vanderbilt alone is a salary match, as would be the combination of Hardy and Jake LaRavia.
However, it seems the Lakers might be unwilling to take on Washington’s contract, regardless of his fit next to Doncic. L.A. has Kessler, Austin Reaves, Grimes and Mamukelashvili all on four-year deals, but it’s possible the Lakers view those deals as good or fair market value, making them all movable down the line if need be. Washington’s is the type of contract that could be hard to move if he does not improve his performance as a member of the Lakers.
The Lakers, though, have to do something at the forward position, and if they ultimately can’t make a deal work with Jonathan Kuminga, Washington might be their best option.
Hawks want pick swap from Lakers in Jonathan Kuminga deal
Rumors have been non-stop about the mutual interest between the Lakers and Kuminga, but with L.A. out of cap space, they’ll need Atlanta’s help to orchestrate a sign-and-trade unless they find another way to clear money. It seems, though, that the Hawks plan to squeeze the remainder of L.A.’s thin asset pool, as they are asking for the team’s lone available first-round pick swap in 2032 to make it happen.
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