Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[ACMFFL]

I respect your opinion and I accept the Mavs point of view. But as you said, you have to take both sides into ecquation. As much as it is possible and true that this valuation is not attractive to Mavs, it is also possible that higher valuation is not attractive to (in this specific case) Lakers or any other team. This is why I think a PJ Washington trade is not happening. The market is simply not willing to put more on the table. At least it seems so. This doesn't mean that the valuation the author made is wrong, imho.

Things might change in the future. Perhaps someone will get more desperate at TDL or next season and offer more, because they will see PJ as the missing piece. However, it is also possible, that even such a deal wouldn't be on a table anymore in the future.

But author didn't take the Mavs into equation at all, it meets only the Lakers' needs—namely, a starting-caliber forward almost for free and freeing up a roster spot at no cost. It's actually a bargain for LAL, they won't find a player of his caliber on the market at that price.
If Masai had considered that fair value, he would have traded PJ a long time ago. Even in the worst case scenario—where PJ's value were to drop somehow—I don't think he would lose any sleep over a second-round pick and a very distant pick swap.

It could also be that the Mavs' front office truly appreciates and values PJ; perhaps they think he will help the team more than what the market currently offers. But as you said, things could drastically change in a heartbeat in the NBA, that's why I insist on the fact that trade value isn't static at all.