For the Clippers, P.J. Washington has long looked like the kind of wing who just fits. He’s the right age, he produces on both ends, and he brings the sort of steady two-way game that can slide into a contender’s rotation without needing the ball to be the whole story.
Now the price tag is out there. According to Jack Fischer, the Mavericks would want a first-round pick for Washington, and the same asking price applies to Daniel Gafford.
That is a real cost, no question. Lawrence Frank has spent plenty of time building up the Clippers’ draft capital, and that kind of asset doesn’t get handed out lightly.
But Washington is the type of player worth taking seriously at that price.
He gives you shooting from the frontcourt, scoring around the rim, work on the glass, and the kind of defense that comes from effort, toughness, and constant activity. Last season with Dallas, he played 56 games and put up 14.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 1.1 blocks while shooting 45.0% from the field in 31.0 minutes a night.
Those numbers tell the story pretty cleanly: he fills the box score and does a little bit of everything. As a role player, he’s as useful as they come.
Washington will be freshly 28 years old heading into next season, which lines up with the Clippers’ timeline. The article also notes that other key names like Derrick Jones Jr., Darius Garland, and Brandon Ingram, pending trade from the Toronto Raptors, are in that same age range.
There’s also the contract. In Sep. of 2025, Washington agreed to a four-year, $90 million extension that keeps him under team control through 2029-30. For a player who brings that kind of two-way value, that deal is described as team-friendly.
And that’s the bigger point for Los Angeles: Tyronn Lue’s rotation could use exactly this sort of scoring-and-rebounding presence in the frontcourt.
So if Dallas is serious about asking for a first-rounder, the Clippers have a straightforward decision to make. If they want Washington, Lawrence Frank should be on the phone with Dallas and pushing to get it done sooner rather than later.
In Other News...
Clippers Make A Quiet Roster Cut With Camp Decisions Looming
Training camp is getting close, and the Clippers made a small but telling roster move as they continue sorting out the edges of the roster. The team had been carrying extra bodies through the offseason, but with camp decisions approaching, the front office trimmed back another guard in a move that fits the usual late-summer churn around the league.
The opening cleared the way for a pair of two-way signings, giving the Clippers a little more structure before the heavy competition begins. For a team trying to balance development, flexibility and immediate depth, these are the kinds of quiet transactions that rarely draw much attention in the moment but often matter once the regular season finally gets here. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Are Suddenly In The Middle Of A Denver Wing Battle
The latest ripple in the leagues sign-and-trade market has pulled the Clippers into an unexpected Denver wing discussion, with Peyton Watson emerging as a name to watch as teams keep sorting through the fallout around other frontcourt and perimeter targets. Clevelands interest in Jonathan Kuminga has reportedly run into complications, which has helped shift attention toward Watson, a young defender whose value has been strong enough to keep multiple clubs engaged.
Watson is now part of talks involving Denver, Los Angeles, Milwaukee and Cleveland, a setup that gives the Nuggets a tricky decision as the market keeps moving around them. If a deal never comes together, the possibility remains that he could simply play out the qualifying offer path and put himself on track for unrestricted free agency in 2027, which only adds another layer to a negotiation that already has several teams waiting on the outcome. [Read more 🡒]