Grading every move the Dallas Mavericks made at the trade deadline

4. Trading for P.J. Washington

The Mavericks got the archetype of the player that they most highly desired at the trade deadline by acquiring P.J. Washington. The 25-year-old forward has the physical tools to be an elite versatile defender, and he's shown many flashes of being able to create his own shot on all three levels offensively in his five-year career in Charlotte.

Washington averaged 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game on 44.6/32.4/71.3 shooting splits in 44 games played for the Hornets this season, but has played a much more inconsistent role this season for the Hornets contrary to previous seasons. Washington only started 17 games for Charlotte this season and found himself in a precarious situation given Charlotte's depth on the wing.

Admittedly, Washington's defense hasn't lived up to the hype that it had coming into the NBA, as Washington boasts a 7-foot-2 wingspan and is an athletic 230 pounds. Washington has the capabilities to guard smaller wings and guards because of how athletic he is, but he still has room to improve with his one-on-one defense.

However, Washington is a great off-ball and help-side defender at the four, and he can immediately relieve a decent amount of pressure on the rim that Dereck Lively II gets because of how spry he is on his defensive rotations. This is also a move that Luka Doncic was reportedly excited about.

Washington uses his athletic tools well on offense as well, and he has an advanced offensive bag for someone his size in terms of his ability get to his desired spots on the floor. However, Washington's only issue is that he needs to be more consistent with his shot-creation and dribble-drive game, as those factors along with his shooting just need to be more consistent than they currently are.

Washington has the potential to be the elite two-way four that Dallas needs, and perhaps a change of scenery to a more competitive environment in Dallas will do wonders for his offensive and defensive consistency. As great of an addition as Washington is he wasn't the perfect player on the trade market for Dallas, but Nico Harrison still made a high-level move here so Dallas gets an A-.