The Lakers’ hunt for frontcourt help has kept Jonathan Kuminga at the center of the conversation, but another name has floated around the edges: P.J. Washington. That buzz, though, may not have much real traction behind it.
NBA insider Jake Fischer offered a blunt update during a recent episode of “ Insider Notebook,” and it did not exactly feed the rumor mill. Fischer said, “I haven’t heard any team targeting P.J.
Washington for some time. Daniel Gafford has had far more trade interest, to my understanding… I really haven’t heard P.J.
Washington’s name come up. Obviously, he’s been linked and connected to the Lakers time and again.”
He added, “I mean, he’s played the best basketball of his career next to Luka Doncic, which is not something that Washington alone has experienced. But I haven’t heard that the Lakers are making any pursuit of P.J.
Washington. 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.”
That’s a tough reality check for a player who, at least on paper, looks like a clean fit in Los Angeles. Washington brings size, versatility and the kind of athletic pop that can help as a lob threat while also giving the Lakers another perimeter defender next to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. He also checks the box for a team that still has roster holes to fill.
But the reporting here points in a different direction: the Lakers simply do not appear to be in active pursuit of him.
Washington’s name had made sense in theory because many expected him to surface in trade talks as Dallas looked toward a rebuild. The Mavericks also drafted players like Morez Johnson Jr., which only fueled the idea that Washington could be available. Instead, recent reports suggest Masai Ujiri has a very positive opinion of Washington, and his production last season made him a tough player to pry loose anyway.
He averaged 14.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 45.0% from the field.
So if Washington is not really on the board, where does that leave the Lakers? Fischer’s comments suggest the rumors were mostly fan-driven, built around trade-machine talk rather than real negotiations. In that sense, Los Angeles may not be losing much at all.
The bigger issue is what comes next. If the Lakers are not chasing Washington, that leaves more pressure on the Jonathan Kuminga talks, and those discussions have reportedly stalled because of contract demands. That should push L.A. to widen its search.
A few names are still hanging around the edges. Some sources have viewed a reunion with Kyle Kuzma favorably.
Klay Thompson, a four-time NBA champion, has also been tied to the Purple and Gold in recent rumors, though that remains speculative. Lakers insider Jovan Buha has also floated Grant Williams as a possible trade target this summer.
The Lakers are clearly shopping for a quality wing at a price they can live with. The problem is that those two goals may not line up anymore. With 16 guaranteed contracts already on the books, the team would need to clear at least two spots just to make room for another addition.
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