Veteran wing P.J. Washington and the Dallas Mavericks have agreed to a four-year, $90 million contract extension, spelling bad news for a Los Angeles Lakers team that was urged to reunite him with Luka Doncic.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Washington, who had the option of testing free agency in 2026, is now locked in with the Mavericks through the 2029-30 season.
The extension prevents the Lakers or any other team from trading for Washington for at least the next six months, likely keeping him in Dallas through the 2025-26 season.
Washington played a key role in helping the Mavericks reach the 2024 NBA Finals, and was the team’s second-leading scorer in the semifinals series win over the Thunder.
Lakers Urged to Acquire Washington
With the Lakers potentially opening up to $60 million in cap space in the 2026 offseason, several analysts had urged the Rob Pelinka-led front office to target Washington, given his on-court chemistry and friendship with Doncic.
Lake Show Life’s Tyler Watts explained why Washington should be atop the Lakers’ wishlist in 2026, citing his success next to Doncic in a Mavericks unfirom.
“The Los Angeles Lakers should target P.J. Washington next summer as the franchise attempts to remake their roster around Luka Doncic,” Watts wrote on August 19.
“The 6’7 forward thrived as a starter during the Mavericks’ 2024 run to the NBA Finals, led by the Lakers’ newest superstar. Washington is an unrestricted free agent in the 2026 offseason, and Dallas has Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg locked in at the forward spots. Washington should look to move on and team up with number 77 in LA.”
Many analysts believe PJ Washington, a proven three-and-D threat, could get lost in the shuffle in an overcrowded Mavericks team flush with quality forwards and wings.
Will PJ Get Lost in the Shuffle?
The Mavericks are expected to start the 2025-26 season with Dereck Lively and Anthony Davis in the front court, with rookie Cooper Flagg, Klay Thompson and D’Angelo Russell filling out the starting unit. In such a scenario, Washington will be forced to come off the bench on a team that also includes the likes of Max Christie, Caleb Martin, Naji Marshall and Daniel Gafford, besides a returning Kyrie Irving.
Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz ranked the Russell-Thompson-Flagg-Davis-Lively unit as the 18th-best starting unit entering the new season, citing Irving’s injury.
“A healthy Kyrie Irving would likely land this group a top-10 spot, although Russell is set to man the point guard position at least until 2026 while Irving recovers from a torn ACL.
“Flagg is about as pro-ready as any rookie, although few contribute to winning immediately. The three-man unit of Davis, Thompson and Lively only logged 102 total possessions together last year, with a meh net rating of plus-1.0.
“This group hits its ceiling if Russell focuses on playmaking instead of his own shot creation, Davis stays healthy and Flagg flashes his skills on both ends of the ball.
“Putting Davis at the five and another wing on the floor (P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall) is probably the best starting group the Mavs could use, although it almost certainly won’t happen.”
However, NBA insider Marc Steiner expects the Mavericks to replace Thompson with Washington in the starting unit eventually.
“I do think that at some point that the starting lineup will be tested at some point with Cooper [Flagg] at the 2 and PJ [Washington] at the 3. I feel pretty strongly about that…”
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