Lakers’ P.J. Washington Trade Buzz Gets Telling Reality Check

The Los Angeles Lakers have gone all out this summer as they begin to build around superstar Luka Doncic for the foreseeable future, making a drastic roster overhaul while also moving on from LeBron James, who decided to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers as a free agent.

Even though the Lakers currently have more than 15 roster spots taken by players with guaranteed contracts, the storied NBA franchise doesn’t appear to be done making moves this offseason, as there could be some more acquisitions on the horizon in Los Angeles.

One name that has come up frequently over the last few weeks is Jonathan Kuminga, to whom the Lakers have been linked in a sign-and-trade with the Atlanta Hawks.

Lakers Haven’t Expressed Trade Interest in P.J. Washington

Although Kuminga has been the player most recently linked to the Lakers, former Doncic teammate P.J. Washington of the Dallas Mavericks has also come up.

Washington would be a welcome addition to this new-look Lakers squad, especially if that can’t land Kuminga, but NBA insider Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report claims there may not be any validity to recent speculation, which seems to be coming from fans of both teams rather than legitimate sources.

“I haven’t heard that the Lakers are making any pursuit of P.J. Washington,” Fischer said. “His name just gets brought up by Lakers fans and by Mavericks fans with that trade mechanism, but nothing I’ve actually heard behind the scenes.”

It seems that Washington, at least for the time being, can be crossed off the list of trade candidates for the Lakers.

Klay Thompson Could be an Option for the Lakers

However, there’s another Mavericks player who played with Doncic in Dallas and has ties to Los Angeles that might become a trade target for the Lakers.

Sharpshooter Klay Thompson is entering the last year of his deal ($18 million) with the Mavs and could be on the move this summer, whether it’s in a trade or a buyout situation.