A little over two years ago, the Dallas Mavericks made what looked like a savvy trade with the Charlotte Hornets, sending Grant Williams, Seth Curry, and a lightly protected 2027 first-round pick in exchange for P.J. Washington and a pair of second-round selections. At the time, the deal made plenty of sense. But circumstances have changed, and it doesn\u2019t look nearly as favorable anymore.<\/p>\n
Trading for P.J. Washington made perfect sense<\/p>\n
When Dallas made the move to acquire the versatile Washington, they sat in eighth place in the Western Conference at 28\u201323. At that point, the Mavericks had been underwhelming, not quite looking like contenders despite fielding one of the NBA\u2019s most talented backcourts in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.<\/p>\n
Following the acquisition (further bolstered by the arrival of Daniel Gafford), the Mavericks surged to a 22\u20139 finish and advanced all the way to the NBA Finals, knocking off the Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Minnesota Timberwolves along the way.<\/p>\n
Washington proved to be a critical piece in that run, starting all 22 postseason games while averaging 13.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.1 three-pointers in 35.7 minutes per game. He also took on a wide range of defensive assignments, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Jaylen Brown.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Williams put up solid numbers in Charlotte, albeit on a struggling team, while Curry saw minimal action. In Dallas, however, Washington continued to elevate his game into the 2024\u201325 season.<\/p>\n
The Luka Doncic trade changed everything<\/p>\n
He remained the connective piece that held everything together, posting a plus-4.3 net rating while delivering career-best efficiency, further validating the trade before the franchise-altering move that ultimately changed Dallas\u2019 trajectory.<\/p>\n
That move, of course, was the Mavericks’ decision to part ways with Doncic. <\/p>\n
Doncic wasn\u2019t just Dallas\u2019 best player \u2014 he was the engine everything revolved around. Washington was brought in as a hard-nosed 3-and-D forward, built to defend, space the floor, and capitalize on Doncic’s wizardly playmaking and gravitational pull.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not to say Washington lost all value without Doncic, but he was at his best as a complementary piece alongside him. Still, the Mavericks pressed forward, acquiring Anthony Davis in the deal, only to bow out in the Play-In Tournament months later.<\/p>\n
Then, in the offseason, Dallas doubled down on Washington for the future, signing him to a four-year, $90 million extension. The team aimed to build a core around defense, length, and physicality, with newly drafted Cooper Flagg and Davis leading the charge.<\/p>\n
Mavericks’ early-season struggles highlight roster challenges<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, the plan backfired almost immediately.<\/a> The Mavericks stumbled out of the gate, starting 2\u20137 and falling to 5\u201315 by early December. Perhaps most strikingly, the Flagg\u2013Washington duo proved ill-fitting: their skill sets overlapped, and the pair\u2019s two-man net rating has been among the team\u2019s worst.<\/a><\/p>\n Currently, the Mavericks sit at 25\u201353, eighth in the draft order, a steep fall from their 2024 NBA Finals appearance. While the 27-year-old has remained solid, averaging 14.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game, Dallas\u2019 current rebuild has left them in a very different position \u2014 one where Washington is no longer central to the team\u2019s long-term plans.<\/p>\n Perhaps worst of all is the lightly protected first-round pick Dallas sent to Charlotte to acquire the Kentucky product. \u201cLightly protected\u201d is almost an understatement. It\u2019s top-two protected, making it all but certain that the Mavericks\u2019 2027 first-rounder will convey to the up-and-coming Hornets.<\/p>\n