Charlotte Hornets & restricted free agent PJ Washington

What do the Charlotte Hornets decide to do with PJ Washington? The 6’7 forward and small-ball center has been with the franchise for four years. He will become a restricted free agent in the off-season and is likely the most interesting player on the roster as it pertains to the franchise’s future. As is usually the case, Washington became a restricted free agent after the fourth year of his rookie-scale deal.

The restricted free agent dance is a minefield for both teams and players alike. Restricted free agents can have whatever offer they received matched by the team that could extend a qualifying offer for their services—in this case, the Charlotte Hornets. While the designation was created for teams to hold onto their players, the logistics of being a restricted free agent can be deleterious for the player.

Qualifying offers are one-year, guaranteed deals. Some players have opted to accept it, play out that one year, and then enter free agency with unrestricted status. It essentially becomes a “show and prove” situation, with the player able to earn more money in a true free agent market, instead of accepting whatever a team is willing to offer them as a restricted free agent. There are also obvious risks to deciding not to sign a long-term deal.

What does this mean for PJ Walker and the Charlotte Hornets?

When teams are interested in adding a player, they are often hesitant to offer a restricted free agent because they know the team can match the offer. To secure a restricted free agent, it may be necessary to drastically overpay. It’s the only way to deter a team that’s interested in retaining a restricted free agent’s services. Therefore, a restricted free agent will likely encounter a depressed market.

Teams have days to decide if they will match the offer, and other free agents (particularly unrestricted ones, available to go anywhere at any time) may be off the market by the time the team holding the player’s rights decides. A team must decide if waiting in free agency limbo when other targets become unavailable is worth it.

And all that calculation must happen before a team decides if they want Washington. Washington’s own talent and skill will likely be a point of debate for any team looking to add him next season. Washington’s game is a mixture of high-level skill and occasional inefficiency. He has shot over 36% from behind the line in his career on over 4.5 attempts per game. But his time as a small-ball center on last season’s teams gave the Hornets their two worst +/- numbers of any lineup with at least 30 minutes of on-court time together.

As the NBA morphs closer and closer to a positionless game, the idea of a “tweener” (someone that isn’t quite good enough at two positions) has largely become extinct. As has the idea of a player having only one position that will fit them. Washington may be the rare case of one of these situations.

He’s not large enough (nor does he defensively rebound well enough) to anchor a team’s defense. And, despite his quality shooting, he likely isn’t good enough defending on the perimeter to be thought of as a “3 & D” player. He’s truly befuddling. His 42-point career-high performance against the Sacramento Kings in 2021 was followed up with a three-point dud against the Trailblazers.

Washington may be a player that was simply played out of position on a team that was short on center depth. He also may be a player that wouldn’t have been given so many minutes and such a large role if the team he was on was better. Teams, including the Hornets, will have to decide what they think he would look like under ideal circumstances, and if those circumstances would be present on their team.

Both the Hornets and Washington will have a lot to discuss this offseason as it pertains to his future with the team. It will be worth watching if the pressure of those upcoming conversations leads to any change in his game or how he is used.