PJ Washington signs $48 million deal with Charlotte Hornets

Go ahead and add another few zeros or so to John Calipari’s former players’ NBA contract total. Adrian Wojnarowski dropped the bomb that PJ Washington signed a three-year deal to return to the Charlotte Hornets worth $48 million.

Restricted free agent F PJ Washington has agreed on a new three-year, $48 million contract to stay with the Charlotte Hornets, @LiftSportsMngmt agent Kevin Bradbury and Washington Sports Group’s Paul Washington Sr. tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/tNoEfhPkeZ

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 26, 2023

Washington is entering his fifth year in the NBA, all with Charlotte, but his future was amid this offseason uncertainty as a restricted free agent. The Hornets wanted him back and could have matched any offer from another team to retain his rights, but it did not have to go that far. Instead, PJ got his bag without the free-agent drama you see elsewhere.

The former Kentucky forward averaged a career-best 15.7 points last season to go along with 4.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. He will now make $16 million per season as the Hornets look to bounce back after an injury-riddled 2022-23 campaign that saw many of their stars miss extended time.

Former Wildcats getting paid large sums of money has been a common theme this summer. Most notably, Anthony Davis signed the richest annual contract extension in NBA history, making three of the top five highest-earners in the league former ‘Cats. The other two are Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns.

On top of that, some predict Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could become the first player to ever sign a contract worth $400 as early as 2026.

Congrats to PJ. He earned it.