{"id":785308,"date":"2026-07-13T05:39:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T05:39:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/785308\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T05:39:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T05:39:55","slug":"lakers-get-major-update-on-pj-washington-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/785308\/","title":{"rendered":"Lakers Get Major Update on PJ Washington Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Jonathan\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Jonathan Kuminga (0) drives to the basket as P.J. Washington (25) defends during an NBA game. Washington has emerged as a rumored fallback option for the Lakers if they fail to acquire Kuminga, though NBA insiders Jake Fischer and Marc Stein believe such a trade would be difficult.<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> continue searching for another impact forward this offseason, with free agent Jonathan Kuminga<\/a> remaining one of the team\u2019s most closely watched targets.<\/p>\n

But if the Lakers are unable to land Kuminga<\/a>, don\u2019t expect Dallas Mavericks<\/a> forward P.J. Washington<\/a> to automatically become Plan B.<\/p>\n

During Sunday\u2019s Bleacher Report livestream<\/a> from NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, NBA<\/a> insiders Jake Fischer and Marc Stein were asked whether Washington could emerge as the Lakers\u2019 fallback option if their pursuit of Kuminga falls through. While both acknowledged Washington\u2019s proven chemistry with Luka Don\u010di\u0107<\/a>, they pointed to significant financial and roster-building hurdles that make such a move difficult.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is due plenty of money over the next several seasons, and it does appear that while the Lakers shelled out a bunch of cash this past summer, that P.J. Washington is not someone that they\u2019re looking at reuniting with Luka Don\u010di\u0107,\u201d Fischer said.<\/p>\n

Luka Don\u010di\u0107 Connection Isn\u2019t Enough\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Getty\u00a0P.J. Washington and Luka Don\u010di\u0107 helped lead the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals, a partnership that continues to fuel speculation about the Lakers\u2019 interest in reuniting them.<\/p>\n

Washington has long been viewed as a logical fit for the Lakers because of the success he enjoyed alongside Don\u010di\u0107 in Dallas.<\/p>\n

After arriving at the 2024 trade deadline, Washington became an integral part of the Mavericks\u2019 frontcourt, providing versatile defense, rebounding and floor spacing while helping Don\u010di\u0107 lead Dallas to the 2025 NBA Finals.<\/p>\n

Stein acknowledged that history naturally fuels speculation about a reunion<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the best P.J. Washington we\u2019ve ever seen was when he was playing with Luka,\u201d Stein said. \u201cSo, it\u2019s natural for people to ask and wonder: Is there a connection? Can that connection be rekindled?\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Stein said the Lakers would face many of the same challenges they have encountered while trying to acquire Kuminga.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the reality is, the Lakers would run into some of the same problems pursuing him that they\u2019re running into pursuing Jonathan Kuminga,\u201d Stein said.<\/p>\n

Lakers\u2019 Trade Assets Remain the Biggest Hurdle<\/p>\n

According to Stein, the Lakers\u2019 limited collection of trade assets continues to restrict what they can realistically offer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey only have one tradable first-round swap to offer in trades, right? It\u2019s a 2032 swap.\u201d<\/p>\n

That lack of draft capital, aside from limited cap room, is what is holding Los Angeles back from getting a starting wing around Don\u010di\u0107, Austin Reaves<\/a> and newly acquired center Walker Kessler<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Even if Washington checks many of the boxes the Lakers are seeking in a starting forward, Stein suggested that constructing a deal remains a significant challenge.<\/p>\n

Mavericks Have Veterans Available<\/p>\n

Stein also shed light on Dallas\u2019 approach to trade discussions involving its veteran players.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeams have shown interest in Kyrie Irving<\/a>,\u201d Stein said. \u201cThe Mavs have told those interested teams that Kyrie Irving\u2019s not available.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that Washington, Daniel Gafford<\/a> and Klay Thompson<\/a> are among the Mavericks veterans who are more attainable in trade talks.<\/p>\n

\u201cDaniel Gafford, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington are the most available, or the more available, among Mavs vets,\u201d Stein said. \u201cBut P.J. Washington, yeah, I just think on both sides that would be, as we speak, a difficult trade to execute.\u201d<\/p>\n

Different Outlook Than Recent Lakers Reporting<\/p>\n

Fischer and Stein\u2019s assessment contrasts with the opinion recently shared by Lakers insider Jovan Buha<\/a>, who argued Washington should rank ahead of Kuminga on the team\u2019s wish list.<\/p>\n

Buha has maintained that Washington\u2019s four-year, $88.8 million extension is not an obstacle but an advantage, giving the Lakers another player in his prime whose contract aligns with a young core led by Don\u010di\u0107, Reaves and Kessler.<\/p>\n

Washington, who turns 28 in August, averaged 14.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.1 blocks in 56 games last season while continuing to establish himself as one of the NBA\u2019s most versatile two-way forwards.<\/p>\n

For now, however, Fischer and Stein believe the Lakers\u2019 path to Washington is no easier than their pursuit of Kuminga. While the fit alongside Don\u010di\u0107 remains obvious, Los Angeles\u2019 limited trade assets and Washington\u2019s long-term contract make a deal difficult to envision under the current circumstances.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tAlder Almo<\/a> is a veteran NBA reporter for Heavy.com, covering the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. He brings over 20 years of experience across local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Originally from the Philippines, he is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Jonathan Kuminga (0) drives to the basket as P.J. Washington (25) defends during an NBA game. Washington…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":785309,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3793],"tags":[7,686,149,4057,166,6],"class_list":["post-785308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas-mavericks","tag-basketball","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-mavericks","tag-dallasmavericks","tag-mavericks","tag-nba"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116911068244951085","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/785308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=785308"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/785308\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/785309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=785308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=785308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=785308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}