Mavericks' rumored P.J. Washington decision destroys chances of dream trade

Slowly but surely, the NBA is creeping towards its October 21 start date to open the regular season. While there is still plenty of time in between now and the start of the season, the Dallas Mavericks will still have plenty of moves to make before they can officially call their roster complete.

One move the Mavericks are waiting for until August 29 is to begin talks on a P.J. Washington contract extension that would solidify his long-term future in Dallas. Locking down Washington for the foreseeable future would be a great move in most fans' eyes; however, it would put a stranglehold on the Mavericks' cap situation next summer if they failed to shed contracts in between now and the start of the 2026-27 NBA season. It looks like Washington is all but guaranteed to remain in Dallas, but that may be risky.

There's no doubt that Washington would be a great addition alongside Cooper Flagg and his future, but there are still some concerns surrounding Washington, such as his three-point shot consistency, as well as the concern that he may not be ok with coming off the bench next season. It may be a controversial decision, but Dallas's best interest would have been to shop Washington on the trade market ahead of next season to get a player to lock down their backcourt.

Mavericks can no longer trade P.J. Washington if extension happens

Now, they can't do that since Washington's rumored new contract will likely include a six-month trade restriction.

Entering the offseason, Nico Harrison understood that the Mavericks' lack of a backcourt was arguably their biggest roster hole after Kyrie Irving went down with a torn ACL in early March of last season. With this in mind, the Mavericks could have the perfect opportunity to capitalize on a crowded frontcourt situation with Anthony Davis, Flagg, and Washington by getting a trade done to lock down the backcourt of the future.

Trading Washington would go down as one of Harrison's most ruthless decisions, but he has been no stranger to decisions that involve zero emotion. For fans, this would be a trade that would require some time to get over, but if the Mavericks were able to snag a young emerging guard in the process, it would be an easy way to ease fans' concerns. Now, they're no longer able to trade Washington if the new rumors hold true, and this could change everything.

As currently stands, the Mavericks will be putting a lot of weight on the shoulders of Flagg to carry the burden of the offense, but pairing the 18-year-old with a guard partner would not only match his timeline but also develop alongside Flagg may be a gamble worth taking.

Washington's value on the trade market would instantly surge if the Mavericks had been able to make him available, and there is also reason to believe that the Mavericks could get some draft capital back in a deal that involved the 27-year-old, but that won't be an option until after the 2025-26 season. Extending Washington may seem like the no-brainer type move the Mavericks have been waiting all summer to do, but considering they may need to trade Washington in the near future to shed salary if his role begins to diminish behind Flagg, it may be best if Dallas could have capitalized on his value this season.

Washington has become one of Dallas' most valuable assets, and a lot of Washington's future flexibility will be determined by what goes down on August 29 or when the two parties converge to discuss a contract extension. It seems like a gurantee now, but things could change.

Washington could be in for a huge payday, and while that may not seem like a bad thing considering he deserves every penny, this contract extension could determine the flexibility they have with future moves.

The Mavericks need to keep in mind that they will be extending Dereck Lively II at some point within the next year and a half, and keeping their books dry for a potential huge Lively II extension should be at the back of Harrison's head.

Addressing Dallas' backcourt needs by trading away Washington would have been a controversial subject, but if it got Flagg a future partner to develop alongside and kept the Mavericks' future cap situation clear, it would have been an option worth exploring.