P.J. Washington move forces Mavericks into tricky Klay Thompson dilemma

After die-hard Dallas Mavericks fans had been anticipating August 29 throughout most of the last month, given that it was the first day P.J. Washington could become eligible to sign a contract extension up to four years and $90 million, it was announced today that Dallas and Washington had come to terms on that exact figure for an extension.

NBA insider Marc Stein had reported recently that it was likely Dallas and Washington would come to terms on an extension, but some Mavericks fans had gotten a little wary over this prospect, considering it had been roughly five days since Washington became extension-eligible. However, Mavericks fans can put those worries to rest now, as Washington's extension comes in at a figure that prevents him from being traded for at least six months, meaning he'll be ineligible to be traded until after next season's trade deadline.

Taking this into account, Washington will 100 percent be a Maverick for all of next season, barring some freak occurrence that prompts Dallas to stretch-and-waive him. Starting in the 2026-27 season, Washington projects to be the third-highest-paid player on Dallas' entire roster, so his new extension undoubtedly raises some questions over what his role should look like. The most blatant question this prompts is whether Washington will start over Klay Thompson or not, as Washington is in the middle of his prime at 27 years old and will be getting paid the most he ever has in his career, so it'd be surprising if the Mavericks brought Thompson off the bench, considering how much they highly covet Washington.

Washington's extension could mean Thompson is coming off the bench

Thompson will bring in around $16.5 million before taxes and other expenses next season, so while he's not getting underpaid at this stretch in his career, Thompson is one of the all-time greats who has carried himself with a certain level of pride throughout the course of his career, which could make coming off the bench difficult for him from a mental perspective. Even up to his juncture in his career at 35 years old, Thompson has only come off the bench in 14 contests since his rookie season, with all of those games being in his final season with the Golden State Warriors in 2023-24.

Thompson was notably frustrated when the Warriors did this two seasons ago, and while it may not have been the main reason for him seeking to play elsewhere in the 2024 offseason, the Mavericks and head coach Jason Kidd must understand this could quickly become a slippery slope if Thompson doesn't take kindly to being asked to come off the bench.

Unless Dallas does the unthinkable and starts Cooper Flagg at point guard instead of D'Angelo Russell, or somehow veers away from their identity of big-ball by starting Anthony Davis at center, there's almost no world where both Thompson and Washington will be starting together once the season kicks off.

Just as much as asking Thompson to come off the bench could hurt the Mavericks vibes-wise, asking Washington to come off the bench could be tricky, too, considering how much he thinks he is valued by Dallas after this recent deal. On paper, Dallas desperately could use Thompson's floor spacing and movement shooting in their starting five, but Washington is undoubtedly a better option as a perimeter defender, so it's going to be interesting to see how Kidd uses both of them in his rotation next season, as there isn't really a clear answer as to who should start until games start being played.

While the Mavericks probably don't want to trade Thompson if they don't have to, he's still eligible to be traded this season, unlike Washington, so if an issue over who should start ever got exasperated to a point of no return, the Mavericks could obviously look to trade Thompson at some point next season.

While Thompson is a multi-time champion and extremely prideful, it should also be noted he is one of the most humble guys in the league, so if Dallas does ask him to embrace a sixth-man type of role just like former No. 31 Maverick Jason Terry, the Mavericks should be cautiously optimistic Thompson wouldn't be reluctant to that prospect at this stage in his career.