The Los Angeles Lakers are going to have a very busy offseason, with a lot of their players set to hit free agency. While much of the talk has focused on LeBron James and Austin Reaves (who has a player option), Rui Hachimura is another key piece who could be on his way out.
Hachimura shone in the 2026 playoffs for the Lakers and could prove to be too expensive to retain. If that does end up being the case, you’d imagine they’d prefer a sign-and-trade in order to get some value for the 28-year-old forward.
What can the Lakers potentially get for Hachimura? Well, Last Word On Sports’ Frederick Okocha has come up with a three-team mock trade involving the Los Angeles Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks.
Proposed Trade Details
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: P.J. Washington, Derrick Jones Jr., Isaiah Jackson
Los Angeles Clippers Receive: Rui Hachimura (sign-and-trade), 2028 first-round pick swap (LAL)
Dallas Mavericks Receive: Jarred Vanderbilt, top-8 protected 2032 first-round pick (LAL)
The Lakers Get Much-Needed Defensive Upgrades
Defense was one of the biggest issues when it came to the Lakers this season. You want as many good defenders as possible next to Luka Doncic, and they had very few of them. So, it wasn’t surprising when it was reported that the Lakers wanted true two-way defensive players this offseason, and they’re getting two here who have also played with Doncic.
P.J. Washington averaged 14.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game for the Mavericks in 2025-26. Washington continued to impress on the defensive end, but was a bit up and down offensively. That was partly due to the Mavericks not really having an elite playmaker, which won’t be an issue with the Lakers.
As for Derrick Jones Jr., he put up 10.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game for the Clippers in 2025-26. Jones is an excellent 3-and-D wing and is the kind of athlete the Lakers lacked.
Washington and Jones played some of the best basketball of their careers when they had Doncic by their side, and this trio helped the Mavericks get to the 2024 NBA Finals. The Lakers would certainly take a step towards getting to the big stage by landing these two.
The Lakers are also getting a solid center in this deal in Isaiah Jackson. Jackson averaged 6.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game for the Clippers and Indiana Pacers in 2025-26. He is a bit undersized at 6’8″, but is still a good rebounder and defender.
The Clippers Land A Sniper And Re-Sign Key Free Agents
You could argue the Clippers are getting the best player in this deal in Hachimura. He averaged 11.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for the Lakers in 2025-26 while shooting 44.3% from beyond the arc. That made it three seasons in a row shooting over 40.0% from three.
Then in the playoffs, Hachimura averaged 17.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game while shooting 56.9% from beyond the arc. He had to step into a bigger role in Doncic’s absence and did so extremely well, further boosting his value.
To go with Hachimura, the Clippers also get a first-round pick swap from the Lakers in 2028, but that won’t be all too valuable. With Doncic and the pieces they’re getting from this trade, they’d be pretty good for the foreseeable future.
Okocha says this trade also opens up enough cap space for the Clippers to re-sign Bennedict Mathurin and John Collins. Mathurin would get a three-year, $60 million contract, and Collins a three-year, $55 million contract.
The Mavericks Get Another Pick As They Rebuild
The Mavericks made it to the NBA Finals in 2024, as mentioned earlier, but they’re now very much in rebuild mode. They traded away Anthony Davis in February, and Washington is another valuable piece they could look to move. The 27-year-old doesn’t really match Cooper Flagg’s timeline, and their fit together on the court is a bit awkward, too.
The Mavericks get a protected pick from the Lakers in 2032 for giving up Washington. They also get Jarred Vanderbilt, who averaged 4.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 2025-26. Vanderbilt remains a fine defensive player, but his offense leaves much to be desired.
Who Says No?
The Mavericks would likely say no to this deal. That’s not a good return for Washington. While you could argue that a first-round pick is a good piece to get back, the Mavericks would not want Vanderbilt. He hasn’t been a positive on the court for the Lakers for a while and still has two years left on his four-year, $48 million deal (player option for 2027-28).
The Mavericks are absorbing Vanderbilt’s bad contract and giving up Washington for a protected first-rounder. That’s just not good enough. Mavericks fans are still bitter about the Doncic trade in 2025, and they’d be fuming if the team helped out the Lakers by agreeing to this deal just over a year later.
