NBA trade rumor: Lakers are linked to add $90 million Luka Doncic’s Mavericks teammate in a blockbuster deal

The Los Angeles Lakers' hunt for a starting-caliber wing keeps circling back to a name Luka Doncic already knows well. Dallas forward P.J. Washington has emerged as a trade target for Los Angeles, offering a fallback plan if the team's pursuit of restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga stalls at the negotiating table.Washington already has Finals pedigree with Doncic from Dallas' 2024 run, and Dallas' crowded frontcourt now gives the Lakers real leverage to make a call. Nothing is finalized, but the framework being discussed gives both sides a logical starting point for negotiations before training camp.

Lakers could pair P.J. Washington with Luka Doncic in a blockbuster trade

Who receives who

The framework works financially, with Washington's $19.8 million matched closely enough by Vanderbilt and Knecht's combined salaries to satisfy trade rules, depending on Los Angeles' final apron standing.

What are insiders saying about P.J. Washington's trade?

Buha shared this week that Washington, who still has three years and $69 million left after this season, looks like someone Dallas could realistically move given its frontcourt surplus.

He pointed to the addition of Morez Johnson Jr. and Santi Aldama as evidence the roster has simply outgrown its own depth chart. SI's Chris Mannix has separately described the Lakers' broader plan as building a "Dallas 2.0" around Doncic, name-checking Washington specifically as the kind of 3-and-D piece Los Angeles wants.

What P.J. Washington's trade would mean for the Dallas Mavericks and the Lakers?

For the Lakers, Washington slots in as a starting forward next to Doncic, Austin Reaves and new center Walker Kessler, giving Los Angeles a proven two-way piece who already knows how to play off Doncic. For Dallas, the return is less about star power and more about clearing a frontcourt that now includes Cooper Flagg, Aldama, Naji Marshall, Johnson Jr., Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II all competing for minutes. The real complication isn't free agency, since Washington is signed through 2030, but the Mavericks' need to duck the luxury tax's second apron, which gives them incentive to move his salary even at a discount.

P.J. Washington's salary cap and contract details

P.J. Washington's stats

Washington's three-point number dipped from 38.1% the year before, but his defensive versatility and rebounding held steady. Dallas can afford to wait until the February deadline to see how the market for him develops, and Los Angeles still needs to resolve its Kuminga talks first. Whichever domino falls first will decide how seriously this framework gets discussed inside both front offices.