NBA
PJ Washington and the Charlotte Hornets still have yet to agree on a long-term deal
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated04 Aug 2023
At this point in the offseason, there are not that many desirable free agents left to sign. However, the Charlotte Hornets still have one of their top players from last season unsigned. In 2022-23, PJ Washington played and started in 73 games for the Hornets. Despite his consistency in a season plagued by injury for Charlotte, Washington is still unsigned for next season. Reports say that the two sides are at a stalemate in a long-term deal.
PJ Washington was drafted 12th overall by the Hornets in the 2019 NBA Draft. In four seasons with Charlotte, he’s played in 260 career games and has made 219 starts. Last season, Washington had career-highs in points (15.7) and minutes played (32.6) per game. He was a key contributor despite the team finishing second to last in the East.
The 24-year-old entered the 2022-23 season as a restricted free agent. His rookie deal is up and Charlotte has yet to offer him a deal that would keep him with the Hornets. It’s a situation that will be monitored over the next month or so.
Report: Charlotte has been unwilling to give P.J Washington a long term contract https://t.co/squSoPTzQr
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 3, 2023
Will the Hornets and PJ Washington be able to reach an agreement on a long-term deal this offseason?
PJ Washington has been a solid player over his first four seasons for the Hornets, but he awaits a long-term deal from the team. Charlotte has used their money elsewhere in the last year. They signed LaMelo Ball to a five-year, $260 million extension. Additionally, they signed Miles Bridges to a one-year deal.
The Hornets drafted Brandon Miller second overall in the 2023 NBA Draft and Gordon Hayward is under contract. If they did give Washington an extension, they’d have an excess amount of talented forwards. In Miles Bridges’ last full season, PJ Washington only started 28 games. In his three other NBA seasons with the Hornets, he’s made at least 57 starts in each season.
He could sign the $8.4 million qualifying offer that extended to him at the start of 2022-23. His options elsewhere are very slim and staying with the Hornets for next season is a smart move. Washington would then become an unrestricted free agent after the 2023-24 season. On September 30, training camps open for all teams around the league. Ideally, Washington would like to be signed by then.
