In 51 games played this season, the Mavericks are 28-23. That is 8th in the Western Conference as the trade deadline quickly approaches. Dallas knows they need to make some upgrades to their roster if they want to be a true contender in the West. The Mavericks have an elite backcourt pairing in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
What the team needs is some help in their frontcourt. That is why Dallas has gone out and traded with the Hornets for PF P.J. Washington. The Mavericks sent Grant Williams, Seth Curry, and a first-round pick to Charlotte. Washington will be a presumed starter for Dallas after they gave up two players and a first-round pick. They wouldn’t give up that much for just a role player.
PJ Washington is now a member of the Dallas Mavericks after getting traded by Charlotte
The Charlotte Hornets are finalizing a trade to send F PJ Washington to the Dallas Mavericks for Grant Williams, Seth Curry and a first-round draft pick, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/LpaQ4HvfL2
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 8, 2024
The Charlotte Hornets are well aware of where they stand among the rest of the league. In 2023-24, the team still has not hit double-digit wins with exactly 50 games played. They have the fourth-worst record in the NBA. With how poorly their season had gone, Charlotte has chosen to be sellers at the deadline. Earlier in the day, they trade veteran forward Gordon Hayward to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Now, the Hornets have made another move to send away an important player.
Dallas has made a trade with the Hornets to send P.J. Washington to the Mavericks. In exchange, Charlotte is sending Grant Williams, Seth Curry, and a first-round pick to the Mavs. It’s a solid haul for the Hornets and an upgrade at PF that Dallas needed. Washington was the 12th overall pick by the Hornets back in 2019. This was his fifth season with the team and he’s heading to Dallas as a member of the Mavs. He started 2032-24 as a starter for Charlotte but fell out of that role as the season progressed. He’ll almost certainly be a starter for the Dallas Mavericks.
Full trade:
– **Dallas Mavericks receive:**
– PJ Washington– **Charlotte Hornets receive:**
– Grant Williams
– Seth Curry
– A first-round pick(Via Woj & Shams) pic.twitter.com/wcJcy7Z4rr
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 8, 2024
In 44 games played this season, Washington has made 17 starts for the Hornets. He was averaging (13.6) points, (5.3) rebounds, and (2.2) assists per game. His (.324) shooting percentage is a career-low for Washington this season. He’ll look to improve that in his new home with the Dallas Mavericks. Washington scored a career-high 43 points on seven made three-pointers just seven games ago. The potential for him to be a star player is there. The 25-year-old will take his talents to Dallas and will try and help the Mavericks stay competitive in the West.