P.J. Washington is one of those NBA free agents who is yet to sign a deal after the terrific round of free agency signing.
The Charlotte Hornets have not been active moves for trades. The only major moves they have made are selecting Brandon Miller as the overall No. 2 Pick and signing Lamelo Ball to a five-year extension, a $260 million contract. Aside from these two negotiations, they have had a few draft selections with Amari Bailey, James Nnaji, and Nick Smith Jr.
They are working on their decisions for Miles Bridges and P.J. Washington. P.J. Washington has put out that he’s looking for a four-year, $80 million contract.
Is Fulfilling P.J. Washington’s Demands Worth It?
Washington’s fourth year in the league has been his best yet. He played 73 games with 32.6 minutes per game and 15.7 points per game.
His physique and his 6 foot 7 inches height help him with solid lateral quickness and solid vertical leaper. All of this helps him perform well. His block rate last season was 1.1 blocks per game.
He’s flexible when it comes to defense, and this is one of the qualities that is very desirable in the NBA.
Does that mean $20 million is a good price for P.J. Washington?
Washington might have given his career best last season, but it really doesn’t help that he performed for the Hornets, who have truly not been successful for four seasons when we talk about them as a team.
Grant Williams secured a four-year, $53 million trade to Dallas Mavericks. In comparison to Williams, Washington has performed better, but Williams was an important rotation player in playoff runs for the Celtics.
He had his good and bad times as a rotation player. Against the Bucks in 2022, he dropped 28 points and drained seven 3’s, but he also shot 30 percent from 3 against the Warriors in NBA Finals 2022.
We cannot compare players, but surely we can conclude that despite an athlete’s capabilities and overall performance, the circumstances, the team’s performance, and the opportunities present for signing play a huge role in the deal you might get or end up signing.
Like Lauri Markkanen’s trade to Utah Jazz, there might be a chance for Washington to find himself a $20 million annual salary that he wants in a sign-and-trade opportunity.
And if that doesn’t happen, he might need an extension with the Hornets. The Hornets need Washington as their starting center, so they’re likely to pursue a deal with him.
There have been rumors that P.J. Washington was open to an $8.5 million qualifying offer by the Hornets as well. It looks quite probable that Washington will find himself with the Hornets again and becomes an unrestricted free agent the next time you see him on the court.
