The Charlotte Hornets have cooled off after a hot start to the NBA season. They are now 5-6 and there could be some moves on the horizon to get the team back to playing at the level they were when the season began. One of the players that could be on the move at some point is P.J. Washington.
Washington, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, has fallen out of favor a little bit in Charlotte. After starting 118 out of the first 122 games in his career, he has been moved into a bench role this season after the hot start that Miles Bridges had.
Washington was recovering from a knee sprain to begin the season, which pushed Bridges into the starting five. He has run away with it, producing at career-high levels through 11 games and seemingly locking himself into the starting role and a lucrative long-term contract.
With Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier locked into big contracts, Bridges likely getting one this summer, and LaMelo Ball’s own max contract down the line, Washington could find himself as the odd man out. If Charlotte isn’t willing to pay him the increase in salary likely coming his way, he could be on the move.
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At 23-years old, Washington is someone that would garner a lot of interest. Despite the move to the bench this season, he is a solid floor-stretching power forward that is coming into his own defensively.
Which teams could show interest in the Kentucky product? Here are three who should look into a trade for Washington.