Hornets trade P.J. Washington to Mavericks

Hornets trade P.J. Washington to Mavericks

The Charlotte Hornets are trading forward P.J. Washington and two second-round picks to the Dallas Mavericks for Seth Curry, Grant Williams and the Mavericks’ 2027 first-round pick, NBA insider Shams Charania of The Athletic was first to report Thursday.

Charania notes that the first-round pick is top-two protected.

Charlotte is receiving a 2027 first-rounder from Dallas — top-two protected — and sending two second rounders to Mavericks as part of the deal, sources said. https://t.co/T9wm0JfqXF

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 8, 2024

Washington, 25, signed a three-year, $46.5 million deal in the offseason with a frontloaded contract. His cap hit for 2023-24 is $16.8 million, which declines to $15.5 million and $14.2 million in the following two seasons with $500K of unlikely incentives each season, per Spotrac.

The gap in talent between Washington and Williams may not be substantial, but Washington provides a similar skill set while being a better rim protector. Washington’s struggled shooting the rock this season, knocking down only 32.4 percent of his triples, but is a career 35.9 percent 3-point shooter and could benefit from a change of scenery in a winning environment.

It’s been a disappointing season for Williams, who could be a potential buyout candidate in Charlotte because they have zero aspirations for competing. Williams could be a good culture setter for Steve Clifford, if anything.

Williams’ defense and impact tailed off this season, however, which isn’t proven by the raw statistics. He’s averaging 8.1 points and 3.6 rebounds on 37.6 percent shooting from 3-point range. Curry, 33, will now be a part of his hometown team after his brief third stint in Dallas; in 36 games, he’s averaged just 4.3 points on 36.3 percent shooting from deep, playing only 12.7 minutes per night.

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This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for updates.

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