The Dallas Mavericks have quickly built up a much deeper rotation than they might have expected.
On a team built around Cooper Flagg, all of a sudden there are more forwards than the Mavs know what to do with, and that has the potential to be a problem.
One contract in particular stands out for the Mavs amid this crowded rotation: P.J. Washington.
Washington is playing on a deal that will pay him $88.8 million over the life of the contract. It’s not clear if the Mavericks will be able to even play him enough to get their money’s worth, and it might be too expensive to trade, as well.
P.J. Washington Contract Problem
Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus recently broke down Washington’s contract as one of the six obvious problem deals in the NBA.
In Washington’s case, it’s not even that he’s overpaid for who he is as a player. It’s just tough to justify paying him that much for how he fits into this current Dallas team.
“The Dallas Mavericks have too many forwards,” Pincus writes. “From Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg to recent trade acquisitions Santi Aldama and Zaccharie Risacher, the Mavs don’t have the budget for PJ Washington, the second-highest-paid player on the team behind Kyrie Irving. Washington is in the first year of a four-year, $88.8 million extension. The Mavericks also drafted Morez Johnson Jr., re-signed Moussa Cisse, and re-signed Dwight Powell. Washington is better suited elsewhere on a contender, where he’d fit in as a complementary role player. While his $19.8 million salary isn’t outrageous this season, the length and total value of his contract could make him difficult to trade.”
Dallas saw opportunities this offseason when it brought aboard Aldama and Riscaher in trades, but they pretty much overlap directly with Washington. There are only so many forward minutes to go around.
Mavericks’ Plan Has Another Issue
The one other problem with Washington that could’ve played out even without all the forward depth is that he’s not a great outside shooter. His best work is done in more of an attack mode than a spot-up-and-shoot mode.
That’s fine in a lot of team constructs, but with the way Flagg gets downhill to create for himself and others, Washington’s lack of outside shooting talent doesn’t help matters, either. He’s got a lot of play-style overlap with Flagg, and Dallas would surely like a bit more play-style diversity in its roster.
Washington’s contract isn’t just costly in a vacuum. If it costs Flagg a chance at reaching his full potential, it ends up being an even worse deal for the Mavericks.
Mavs Face $88.8 Million Problem