Morez Johnson Jr.'s electric debut raises tough Mavericks trade question

Morez Johnson Jr. was easily the Dallas Mavericks' best player in their opening game of the 2026 NBA Summer League, as Johnson was all over the court on both sides of the ball, and this emergence could force Dallas into a tough trade question.

Should they trade P.J. Washington if Johnson Jr. continues to play at this rate?

The Mavericks are already overloaded at small and power forward, and Washington is a player who could net a solid guard in return if Dallas were to trade him this summer. Johnson Jr. may not be as versatile as Washington offensively at this point, but he may already be of equal or a higher caliber defensively, as he moves his feet well in space and is a little bigger than Washington.

Losing Washington would be hard, as he was their starter during the run to the NBA Finals in 2024, and has become a key piece of their core over the last few years. This would be a departure that would certainly sting, but it may be in the franchise's best interest after seeing how well Morez played on Thursday night.

Johnson Jr.'s emergence could prompt a P.J. Washington trade

Johnson Jr. was stellar in the short roll, finishing lobs, and driving to the rim in his Summer League debut, which are all skills Washington possesses as well. He finished with a game-high 27 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks, showcasing his entire arsenal against the Golden State Warriors. His debut was electric, and it has Mavericks fans thinking that he can develop into a star one day.

With Dallas already having so many wings, there's only so much room for this type of player on the roster, especially since Washington shot poorly from outside last season, and Johnson Jr. doesn't project to be a threat from outside right away either.

One should also take into account that Johnson Jr. was playing the five in his Summer League debut, but with how many wings and bigs the Mavericks currently have, he'll probably get some minutes at the four as well. Washington has also played some minutes at the five for Dallas, so with both of these players having the ability to play the four or five, it makes it even more negligible for Dallas to keep both on the roster.

Dallas could obviously look into trading Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively II over Washington, but there's no doubt some room needs to be made for Johnson Jr., and Washington seems like the most likely trade candidate to make this happen.

Johnson Jr. is younger, cheaper, and may not be far behind Washington

Of course, Johnson Jr will need to continue to prove his two-way ability throughout the rest of Summer League, and Mavericks fans still haven't seen him on an NBA court yet, but there's no doubt he came onto the scene hot in his Summer League debut.

Washington is set to make nearly $20 million next season, while Johnson Jr. will make roughly $7.7 million on his rookie-scale deal. Even if Johnson Jr. isn't a better player than Washington yet, he may not be too far behind, and with Dallas needing to enhance their guard play, it's in their best interest to shift their focus to the younger and cheaper option in Johnson Jr.

Washington has been a fan-favorite player in Dallas for a few seasons now, but his 3-point shooting percentage has gone down ever since the Luka Doncic trade, and he may not be the best fit with Cooper Flagg long-term. With Johnson Jr. projecting to be a better pick-and-roll partner for Flagg, the Mavericks may need to bite the bullet by trading Washington to open up minutes for Johnson Jr. in this new era of Mavericks basketball.

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