PJ Washington traded to Mavericks in multi-player deal

Finally, PJ Washington will have a chance to compete in the playoffs.

Ahead of Thursday afternoon’s NBA trade deadline, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Washington is being traded from the Charlotte Hornets to the Dallas Mavericks in a multi-player deal. The Mavericks will receive Washington and two second-round picks while Charlotte will receive Grant Williams, Seth Curry, and a top-two protected 2027 first-round draft pick.

In Dallas, Washington will team up alongside MVP candidate Luka Doncic on a Mavericks team that is currently 28-23, good enough for eighth in the Western Conference. The former Kentucky Wildcat, now in his fifth NBA season, averaged 13.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 29.2 minutes per game for the Hornets in 44 games played (17 starts) throughout 2023-24.

Washington, 25, has yet to make the postseason since arriving in the NBA before the 2019-20 season. Charlotte made the Play-In Tournament in 2021 and 2022 but never advanced to the NBA Playoffs.

Charlotte is trading PJ Washington to Dallas for package around Grant Williams, Seth Curry and a first-round pick, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. pic.twitter.com/ROf64V5XgK

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 8, 2024

Dallas had been rumored as a potential landing spot for Washington throughout the week. The Mavericks front office was looking to offload Grant Williams — who has not lived up to the franchise’s expectations after signing a four-year, $53 million deal in the offseason — and replace him with more size and shooting.

Washington (6-foot-7) is only an inch taller than Williams (6-foot-6) but possesses a team-friendly contract and has doubled Wiliams’ on-court production during their respective careers. Washington is a career 35.9 percent outside shooter on nearly five attempts per contest. He has posted at least 40 points three times as a pro, including a 43-point performance in late January.

After signing a three-year, $48 million deal with Charlotte in the offseason, Washington is locked in for two more seasons with Dallas after 2023-24 and is on a declining salary. Throughout his five seasons with the Hornets, Washington was a steady and consistent contributor. He averaged 15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 30.1 minutes per outing during his tenure.

This season, on a bad Hornets team holding a 10-40 overall record, Washington is shooting 44.6 percent from the floor and a career-low 32.4 percent from deep. A change in scenery could be exactly what he needs though, especially with Charlotte leaning into a youth movement centered around 2023 No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller and All-Star guard LaMelo Ball.

Next to Doncic with the Mavericks, Washington’s role will be focused on shooting and rebounding. Washington attended high school in the state of Texas, too.

Before getting selected with the No. 12 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Washington enjoyed a successful two-season run in college at Kentucky. He was a steady contributor as a freshman in 2017-18 but blossomed into a Third-Team All-American in year two as a sophomore. Washington averaged 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game on 52.2 percent shooting as a Wildcat in 2018-19, also making First-Team All-SEC.