ESPN Gives Mavs Appalling Grade for P.J. Washington Trade; Why They’re Wrong

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Dalton Trigg | Last updated 2/12/24

Despite former Dallas Mavericks forward Grant Williams shooting below 40 percent from the field in his final 34 games with the team, there are still people out there who don't think P.J. Washington will be an upgrade over him. However, not only is Washington taller and longer than Williams, he's more versatile on both ends of the floor, which is exactly what Dallas needs from its power-forward position.

Following the trade deadline, ESPN posted their grades for each deal that was made, and they gave the Mavs a near-failing grade of a "D" for acquiring Washington. Although we know to take these kind of things with a large grain of salt, it was still fairly appalling to see.

"I can see how the Mavericks found Williams lacking after viewing him as an important piece last summer. Having begun the year as Dallas' starting 4, he bounced in and out of the lineup and had come off the bench the last three games. Because Williams is such a low-usage offensive player, he has to score with above-average efficiency to be a contributor on offense, and that wasn't the case after two higher-percentage seasons in Boston," Kevin Pelton wrote.

"The question here is what problem Washington is solving. Five years into his career, I'm still not sure what Washington is as an NBA player, in part because he's had so little stability around him with the Hornets."

How one can look at what Williams produced in his time as a Maverick and then wonder if Washington is "an NBA player" is beyond us. However, if we had to guess, several so-called "insiders" don't actually watch these players they share their opinions on.

Alas, the Mavs are happy that they were able to land Washington, who not only gives them more options on offense, but also increases their defensive versatility, as we witnessed firsthand on Saturday when he held OKC's Jalen Williams to just nine points on 4-10 shooting.

Washington and the Mavs are back in action on Monday night taking on Gafford's former team, the Washington Wizards. Stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com for extensive coverage leading up to and following the game.