Reuniting Luka Doncic with an old friend from Dallas in P.J. Washington would have been the perfect trade for the Los Angeles Lakers to explore in the 2025-26 NBA season. That option has officially been taken off the table for Rob Pelinka.
Shams Charania broke the news on Twitter/X, "Dallas Mavericks forward PJ Washington has agreed to a four-year, $90 million contract extension with the franchise, agent Kevin Bradbury of LIFT Sports Management told ESPN. Washington secures a new deal that keeps him in Dallas through 2029-30."
The extension for Washington gave him the maximum possible raise off his $14.2 million salary, according to Bobby Marks. It also had a huge added benefit for the Mavericks, which serves as a torturous downside for the Lakers.
Due to the extension, Washington is ineligible to be traded in 2025-26. That takes a huge name off the board of potential targets in Los Angeles and kills all speculation about him aiding in another championship push with his old teammate.
Lakers will need to find backup plan after losing out on P.J. Washington
Washington is built in the mold of players whose skill set are a perfect match for Doncic. The Mavericks forward can defend, shoot the ball, and add an overall scoring touch while contributing to places all over the floor.
In 2024-25, Washington had one of the stronger seasons of his career. The two-way forward averaged 14.7 points, a career-high 7.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. The Mavericks starter shot 45.3 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from beyond the arc on 4.2 attempts.
His $14.1 million salary would have made him an easy player to crunch the numbers for as well in trade discussions. The Lakers could have enjoyed several different trade avenues to make the potential deal work financially.
Instead, it is back to the drawing board in Los Angeles as they continue to search for an added boost to the rotation. The Lakers' trade deadline plans should already be obvious. They need to upgrade the upper echelon of their rotation before they can feel truly settled on being a contender in 2025-26.
It may take some time before the ideal role players falls into their lap. It may even take exploring some strange avenues to do so. However, with a proven contributor that is known to work alongside Doncic ineligible for trade this season, the Lakers must exhaust all options when they come.