Lakers predicted to make another trade with Mavericks after Luka Doncic fleece
· Yahoo Sports
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There’s no question that the Los Angeles Lakers got the best of the Dallas Mavericks in their blockbuster Anthony Davis-Luka Doncic trade swap (Feb. 2025).
Only surrendering one first-round pick in the headline-worthy transaction and essentially landing a more durable, high-upside superstar capable of leading the Lakers to new heights will go down as one of the biggest fleeces in NBA history.
What’s stopping the Lakers from conducting business with the Mavericks again in the near future? Lakers insider Jovan Buha likes the idea of Los Angeles trading for Dallas’ 6-foot-7 two-way wing to assist Doncic during his championship quest.
“Looking at P.J. Washington in Dallas, he’s making $19.8 million this year, but he's got three years, $69 million leftover,” Buha wrote Monday. “There’s a frontcourt log jam in Dallas. They drafted Morez Johnson out of Michigan, they traded for (Santi) Aldama, they have Cooper Flagg, and Derick Lively’s coming back. They have this surplus of frontcourt talent and guys in that general 6-foot-8 to 6-foot-10 range.
“P.J. Washington with a ton of money leftover, to me, looks like a guy that for the right price could be likely had. “We do have the history of LA. Dallas and optically, the Mavericks would have to hold their own in any trade with the Lakers, but I think that he’s someone that, for the right price, is realistic.”
While Washington failed to operate as the corner three specialist he was in 2024-25 (he shot 32.5% from deep last year after connecting on 38.1% of his triples the year before), the Kentucky product continued to exhibit his skills as a switchable, physical defender, an effective face-up threat, and a sneaky good rebounder.
Washington averaged 14.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, and 1.0 steals with the Mavericks in Year 7, which is undoubtedly one of his best NBA campaigns to date. Thrown in the fact that the former first-round pick was a valuable asset alongside Doncic during Dallas’ unexpected 2024 run to the NBA Finals, and it would be logical for the Lakers to reunite Doncic with his 27-year-old former Mavericks teammate.
We’ll see if the Lakers quickly turn their attention to Washington on the trade market.
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