The Los Angeles Lakers were a rumored destination for Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson, but after his recent buyout, Thompson is headed elsewhere.
This has accelerated the Mavericks’ pivot toward a youth-driven roster built around promising talents, creating unexpected openings in the veteran market that the Lakers appear well-positioned to exploit.
Dallas is now shifting resources to develop its next generation rather than retain aging contributors from the previous championship-contending window.
Sai Mohan of Heavy.com notes that the Mavericks, intent on centering their future around Cooper Flagg, Morez Johnson Jr. and Dereck Lively, remain willing to discuss deals involving other established players such as P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford.
Mohan then proposed an idea that involves a three-team framework andwould send Washington and Derrick Jones Jr. to the Lakers in return for Dalton Knecht and Jarred Vanderbilt, while the Los Angeles Clippers receive Jaden Hardy along with cash considerations to facilitate the salaries.
Washington and Jones both started for the 2024 Mavericks team that reached the NBA Finals, giving them immediate on-court chemistry with Luka Doncic that few available wings can match. The Lakers have been active this offseason, adding Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Kevon Looney, and several others, yet they still lack a true starting small forward who can stretch the floor and defend at a high level.
Washington addresses that gap with a combination of three-point shooting and versatile defense, allowing him to slot directly into the first unit.
Jones, whose contract expires after this season at $10.4 million, represents a lower-risk addition; he previously excelled as a perimeter stopper during that Finals run, holding his own against All-Stars such as Paul George, Jalen Williams, and Anthony Edwards while contributing modest scoring and rebounding.
For Dallas the calculus is straightforward. Washington’s four-year, $88 million extension begins this season and climbs toward $24 million by 2029-30, an awkward fit as the franchise grows younger and has already layered in Naji Marshall, Zaccharie Risacher, Caleb Martin, and Flagg at the forward spots.
Swapping that long-term money for Knecht, who carries a team option, and Vanderbilt, who has just one year remaining after 2026-27, improves the books and reduces positional overlap. Whether the Clippers agree to serve as the third team remains an open question, but the framework illustrates how Thompson’s exit has rippled through both organizations.
If completed, the deal would give the Lakers two battle-tested pieces who understand Doncic’s game while helping Dallas continue its rebuild without the financial drag of a veteran contract that no longer aligns with its timeline.
The coming weeks will reveal whether the idea gains traction or remains hypothetical, yet it already highlights how one buyout can reshape two rosters at once.
