P.J. Washington shake-up could instantly turn his Mavericks future upside down

During the 2024 NBA trade deadline, the Dallas Mavericks made a home run swing when they traded for P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford in the hopes that adding those two players would make them contenders. Not only did both Washington and Gafford instantly become fan favorites, but their addition in Dallas quickly made the Mavericks contenders and helped the team reach the NBA Finals for the first time in over 13 years.

Now, over a year removed from that coveted NBA Finals berth against the Boston Celtics, the Mavericks' roster looks completely different, and the team's focus could quickly shift to the future rather than staying competitive. While it's still a long time before the Mavericks fully focus on the future, Washington is quickly approaching his August 29th extension date, which would make him eligible for a four-year, $89 million contract that would lock him down in Dallas for the foreseeable future.

In most fans' eyes, locking down Washington on a long-term extension seems like the right thing to do, considering Washington is a culture-building player, and he is just 26; however, Washington might not see himself playing in a reserve role, as he will be behind Cooper Flagg on the depth chart, which may leave his future in Dallas in question.

P.J. Washington's future in Dallas is murkier than fans expected

There's no doubt that Washington is the type of player who can change the fortune of a franchise with just his presence, and Dallas became the first team to realize this when they traded for him. While coming off the bench and being a potential Sixth Man of the Year candidate would sound like a dream come true to most players, Washington has no doubt already proven his worth to the Mavericks.

Washington has always possessed the skills to be one of the league's most prolific 3-and-D wings with very high upside on his dribble-drive game. Asking Washington to come off the bench may not only be asking one of the league's best wings to swallow his pride and be a team player, but to potentially lose out on millions of dollars in the future, as he is just now scrapping his prime years by most NBA standards.

Now, looking at the Mavericks' perspective, it would be really hard to let Washington walk for nothing if they refused to extend Washington to the full amount that he is eligible for, considering he deserves the massive pay jump. With this in mind, Dallas may look to exploring a trade with Washington as the forefront to not only find Washington a new home in his future, but fill one of Dallas' biggest roster holes.

Washington would without a doubt garner some eye-popping names for the Mavericks to drool over; however, keeping Washington needs to be at the top of everyone's list, including Nico Harrison.

While exploring the trade market for a big name like Washington or even letting him walk that way he won't be on Dallas' cap sheet a year from now may sound like a decent move to some fans, the reality of the situation is asking Washington to take a pay cut or extend with the Mavericks in a few weeks on a lesser guaranteed role, may be too much for Washington to commit long term to.

Young wings with high upside to expand their game even more under a different role are hard to come by, which is why Harrison needs to be chomping at the bits to get Washington what he deserves, which is something the Mavericks have discussed, but asking Washington to come off the bench, may just be too tall of an ask for a player who's worthy of a starting job on just about every NBA team.