Lakers linked to no-brainer trade for former Luka Doncic teammate

The Los Angeles Lakers have continued to be linked with Jonathan Kuminga, but NBA reporter Jovan Buha believes another Western Conference forward would represent a better all-in move.

Buha identified Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington as a player the Lakers should aggressively pursue, describing a potential deal as a “no-brainer.”

He also suggested that Washington’s future in Dallas may be uncertain, with the Mavericks potentially looking to move either him or center Daniel Gafford.

LA insider would prioritize Washington over Kuminga

Speaking on Lakers Mailbag, Buha explained that the Lakers’ hesitation over Kuminga should not necessarily be viewed as a lack of willingness to commit to improving the roster.

Acquiring Kuminga through a sign-and-trade would require Los Angeles to give him a contract lasting at least three years, while also surrendering assets to the Golden State Warriors.

Buha believes the Lakers must carefully evaluate Kuminga’s salary and the value they would need to send out.

“I don’t think Pelinka is scared to fully commit,” Buha said. “As I’ve talked about on here and on Lakers Collective, I think there’s a ton of moving parts with the Kuminga situation.

“If the Lakers are sign-and-trading for him – which is the only way they could acquire him now – they are committing to at least a three-year deal, if not potentially a four-year deal, and that’s a long-term commitment with Kuminga.

“So I think a big thing for the Lakers is: what does that contract look like, what is that AAV [average annual value], and if it’s at a certain number that they’re comfortable with, okay, proceed. If it is 15-plus million or even upwards of 20 million, do they want to commit to that? I don’t think so. I think that would be too rich of a price for them.”

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However, Buha said he would be far more critical of the Lakers if they passed on an opportunity to make an aggressive offer for Washington.

“Where I will criticize this is the potential not going all-in for a guy like P.J. Washington,” Buha said. “I would do that in a heartbeat, and that to me would be a more all-in move that I would criticize them for not doing or, you know, not viewing it as the right final piece.

“I just disagree with that. We talked about it on Lakers Collective the other day with Pete [Zayas]: to me, it’s a no-brainer if you can land a P.J. Washington.”

Washington could fill Lakers’ biggest remaining need

Buha believes the Lakers still lack a proven starting-caliber wing or forward who can defend, close games and consistently play more than 30 minutes.

Los Angeles has added several rotation-level players, but Buha questioned whether the current roster contains enough legitimate starters to compete with the best teams in the Western Conference.

“I think they prioritized bench-level players and multiple bench-level players and depth at the expense of a starter,” Buha said.

“And right now, they might only have three starting-level players on the roster. You could argue four potentially with Grimes, but if we’re talking guys who would get consideration to start on the Thunder or the Spurs or the Knicks or pick your other favorite team, I think the Lakers only have three guys that would get any consideration on any of those other teams, and that’s Luka, Austin, and Kessler.”

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Buha said the Lakers eventually need to acquire a larger perimeter player capable of defending multiple positions and taking on a major role in the starting and closing lineups.

“I think that’s the final thing that the Lakers have to address, either this summer or next season or – at the latest – next summer, is adding, I think, a guy who’s like a 20-plus million starting-level wing/forward,” Buha said.

“It could be a big guard/small wing, it could be just a normal-sized wing, it could be a big wing/forward – some variation of one of those three general archetypes.

“But it’s got to be someone like 6-foot-5 and above who is a 20-plus million dollar player because of their defense, because of their athleticism, because of their overall talent, and they need to be able to start and close games and play like 30-plus minutes.”

Washington would seemingly fit many of those requirements as a versatile forward capable of playing next to Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler.

Mavericks may consider moving Washington or Gafford

Later in the podcast, Buha compared the long-term outlooks of the Lakers and Mavericks.

While discussing Dallas’ roster around Cooper Flagg, he suggested that Washington and Gafford may not remain with the organization for the next stage of its rebuild.

“I like guys like P.J. Washington or Daniel Gafford, but it seems like Dallas is trying to potentially trade them, and they might not be on the next highly competitive Mavericks team,” Buha said.

Buha did not state that either player was officially on the trade block, and his wording was notably cautious.

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Lakers could turn to Washington as Kuminga alternative

Buha repeatedly presented Washington and Kuminga as the two obvious candidates to fill the Lakers’ need for a starting forward.

“I think the obvious one right now is finding that big wing/forward,” Buha said. “You could trade for Jonathan Kuminga, or you could trade for P.J. Washington. We’ve already talked through variations of that.”

He later argued that the Lakers should prioritize acquiring that type of forward because comparable options may be difficult to find in next summer’s free-agent market.

“This to me is another reason why getting a P.J. Washington, getting a Jonathan Kuminga does make some more sense, because I think that role might be a little bit more difficult to fill,” Buha said.

“I feel like the Lakers should try to get that starting-level 4 and then see if Quentin Grimes can develop.”

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