Insider: Lakers haven't talked about P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford
· Yahoo Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers would still love to add a starting two-way forward to their roster this summer. They have been trying to land Jonathan Kuminga, but he has been increasingly linked to the Cleveland Cavaliers, especially now that LeBron James chose the Philadelphia 76ers over the Cavaliers in free agency.
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One other such player who has been at least somewhat linked to the Lakers is P.J. Washington of the Dallas Mavericks. He would be a more ideal option, as he's a proven two-way player and spent time alongside Luka Doncic in Dallas as part of a team that reached the NBA Finals in 2024.
But it is unknown how motivated the Mavericks are to move him, and it is especially unknown how willing they are to accept L.A.'s meager trade assets in return. Additionally, Khobi Price of the California Post recently reported that L.A. doesn't want to take on the four years that are remaining on Washington's contract.
Insider Jake Fischer said during a Bleacher Report show that the Lakers simply aren't interested in Washington or Dallas center Daniel Gafford, another player they have been linked to.
“I know Lakers fans want to keep drawing a line to a trade with Dallas for either P.J. Washington or Gafford because of their success with Luka Dončić. I really don’t have any inclination that the Lakers have had trade talks about either of those guys of real consequence this offseason.”
Washington is the type of player who could perhaps help turn the Lakers into championship contenders once this new-look roster gets some substantial reps together. He has career averages of 13.3 points and six rebounds a game, and he's known as a strong defender who is fairly athletic and can also finish in transition.
At age 27 (he will turn 28 in late August), he doesn't seem to fit Cooper Flagg's timeline, and one would think that Dallas would want to move off his contract in order to retool around Flagg. One has to figure that there is always a chance that months from now, there could be some actual mutual interest in a Washington trade between these two teams -- or perhaps not.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Insider: Lakers haven't talked about P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford