The latest on the Lakers and P.J. Washington is that nothing is happening. Lakers reporter Jacob Rude wrote that L.A. has repeatedly said it has no interest in the Mavericks forward, and reports have pinned that on the fully guaranteed $88.8 million Washington is owed over the next four years. The question isn’t whether he would help. It’s whether the Lakers should pay Dallas’s price now or wait for that price to drop.
Power Forward Is the Last Open Starting Spot
The need hasn’t gone away. Dončić, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler are set for the opening-night lineup, and Quentin Grimes is the front-runner for one of the two open spots, but there hasn’t been any reporting on who will fill power forward. The candidates in camp are LaRavia, Mamukelashvili, Thybulle, Vanderbilt, and Carr, a group of role players, none of them an obvious starter.
Washington would be. Last season he averaged 14.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.4 three-pointers and 2.1 combined steals and blocks, shooting 45.0 percent from the floor. He also fits next to a lineup built around Kessler’s rim protection: a forward who can guard several positions and space the floor without needing the ball. That matters more now that L.A. lost its two best three-point shooters in free agency, with Luke Kennard signing with the Phoenix Suns and Rui Hachimura landing with the Los Angeles Clippers.
He has also played this role before, next to this star. Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus described him as a strong fit as a former Dončić teammate who is a willing role player, defender, and shooter. Washington started for Dallas through the 2024 Finals run with Dončić, so the fit is proven, not a guess.
The Contract and the Asking Price Are the Problem
Washington makes a base salary of $19,813,044 this season, the first year of a deal that runs through 2029-30. Durability is a real concern too. He logged only 56 games, one fewer than he played during the 2024-25 campaign, and he finished last season dealing with a left elbow sprain.
Dallas’s price makes it worse. Jake Fischer has said the Mavericks have been asking for a first-round pick for Daniel Gafford, adding “I’m sure it’s roughly similar value for P.J.” The Lakers don’t have that to give. Per Pincus, outside of one first-round pick swap in 2032 and three future second-round picks, they have no draft compensation left to offer.
Dallas isn’t in a hurry, either. Marc Stein reported that new team president Masai Ujiri is also said to be a fan of P.J. Washington.
Time Favors Los Angeles
Still, the leverage is moving toward the Lakers. Pincus reported that sources call Washington’s trade market “barren,” and that no real suitor is willing to take on his four-year, $88.8 million extension before the season, the Lakers included. In Dallas, coach Dusty May is not yet ready to commit to the Kentucky product being a mainstay in the starting five, and drafting Morez Johnson has crowded that frontcourt.
A player with no market who is losing his starting job doesn’t cost a first-round pick for long. Pincus has also pointed to the Lakers’ real way in: Dallas would probably be happy to take Vanderbilt’s $13.3 million player option for 2027-28 to get out of Washington’s longer deal. The full salary-matching package hasn’t been reported. Still, a deal that hands Dallas shorter money and keeps the 2032 swap in L.A. is one the Lakers can live with.
The Verdict
The Lakers should go after Washington, but not yet and not at Dallas’s current price. He fills their clearest starting need with a skill set that suits Dončić and Kessler, and $19.8 million is fair pay for a two-way starting forward. The risks are the elbow, the years left on the deal, and giving up the only first-round asset they have left.
Training camp will show whether LaRavia, Mamukelashvili or someone else can hold the spot. If nobody can by midseason, the Lakers should offer Vanderbilt’s shorter contract and seconds, and walk away if Dallas still wants a first. That rules out both the dramatic move and doing nothing. It’s simply a reasonable price for a player who fits.
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