Mavericks’ stance on P.J. Washington may be clearer after Dusty May's quote

P.J. Washington has been in trade rumors for the Dallas Mavericks this summer, but the noise regarding these rumors has cooled off significantly ever since it was revealed that Masai Ujiri is a fan of Washington and his playstyle.

Things could change as the season treks along depending on where Dallas is at in the standings ahead of the trade deadline, but Ujiri's stance was further emphasized by new head coach Dusty May during a radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan on “K&C Masterpiece"

“When you look at just the positional versatility we have, even with our young guys, Coop can play a number of positions,” May said. “Morez, who I obviously coached, can play a number of positions, and he can guard all five positions, which allows you to have more lineup versatility. If we get D-Live back sooner than later, that’s a good young group."

May's quote hints that a P.J. Washington trade is unlikely

"And then Risacher, who we just brought in, Max, P.J., these are guys that can slide up and down the lineup, so it gives you a lot of hope that you can find a way to win any type of game.”

This is a loaded quote by May, but it's telling that he named Washington as one of the more versatile players on Dallas' roster, and depending on how much one is reading into the quote, May could even be saying he views Washington as a part of Dallas' young core.

While Washington is a veteran player, he only just turned 28 years old, and there's definitely reason to believe he'll be in his prime for another three to four seasons, meaning he can still fit with Dallas' youth movement and timeline around Cooper Flagg.

May also didn't name Daniel Gafford in this quote, which could be telling in terms of Dallas preferring to trade Gafford over Washington if they are able to find a suitable deal for either of them at any point this season.

Things could change, but Dallas believes in Washington

Many fans and media members grew skeptical over Washington's long-term fit with Flagg because of the overlap between their positions and skill sets, as Washington and Flagg had a tough -10.7 net rating when on the court together last season.

Washington's 3-point shooting percentage took a notable dip last year compared to the 2024-25 season (38.1 percent to 32.5 percent), and many attributed this drop-off to Washington not being spoon-fed as many wide-open looks as he was when Luka Doncic was still on the team. However, with a great shot creator and playmaker in Kyrie Irving returning to the lineup, there's reason to believe Washington can improve in this area with more spacing offensively next season.

All in all, we are very deep into the offseason, and this could be a case of reading into May's quote far too hard, but it can't be ignored that two of the Mavericks' new biggest decision-makers have now both voiced their praise for Washington and his abilities. There's still reason to be concerned over Washington's fit with Flagg long-term, but for now it seems like Dallas is giving Washington the ability to prove doubters wrong and to stick around in Big D until proven otherwise.

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