Three forwards who could make sense for Lakers in a trade

The Lakers changed plenty around Luka Doncic this summer. They may still need one more forward who can defend and hold his own offensively.

Mat Issa of FanSided offered three hypothetical trade targets: P.J. Washington, Herbert Jones and Derrick Jones Jr. Two have already played alongside Doncic in Dallas.

Washington might be the cleanest fit. He can defend multiple positions, provide some offense and knows how to play with Luka from the Mavericks’ run to the 2024 Finals. There’s a catch, of course. Washington said Mavericks president Masai Ujiri told him he wasn’t planning to trade him. Rival teams may keep calling anyway.

Herbert Jones would give the Lakers a terrific perimeter defender, though prying him away from the Pelicans is another question entirely. Derrick Jones Jr. is the other former Doncic teammate on Issa’s list. He’d bring athleticism and defense, potentially at a lower price than the other two.

Those are possibilities on paper. No deal involving any of them has been reported, and the Lakers can spend the opening weeks seeing how their new group fits before deciding what it lacks.

Still, the question behind Issa’s exercise is a good one: Who guards the league’s best forwards when the games start to count?