Could the Cleveland Cavaliers be after P. j. Washington of the Charlotte Hornets? Washington’s contract with Charlotte has been one of the more confusing situations this offseason. Heading into free agency it was thought that Washington would draw interest from many teams. That has not been the case so far. Washington is a restricted free agent. Meaning that Charlette can match any offer he gets if they choose to do so.
Washington To CLE?
Washington is in offseason purgatory as of right now. With no other options, it looks as if he will be stuck with the Hornets. Although, recently it has been rumored that The Cleveland Cavaliers have been very interested in P. J. Washington. The Cavs could be looming threats to swoop in and steal Washington from Charlotte.
“The Cleveland Cavaliers are still looming as a serious landing spot for RFA PJ Washington in a sign-and-trade framework,” Weinbach posted on X (formerly known as Twitter.) “Charlotte has reportedly been unwilling to offer Washington a long-term deal and are open for discussions regarding the 24-year-old versatile forward.” According to SwarmAndSting.com.
Cleveland would have to offer Washington a deal that CHarlette wouldn’t want to match. This would be difficult due to Cleveland’s current cap space. They also have to think about their future contract negotiations with Donovan Mitchell and Jarett Allen. One way Cleveland could even the playing field would be a sing-and-trade scenario. A deal fixed around a player like Dean Wade and maybe a few second-rounders.
It seems more likely that Charlette will just sign Washington’s qualifying offer and bring him back for another season. This will allow the Hornets to keep their starting forward, but they will have to make some tough choices next offseason. As for Cleveland, they have had themselves a big off-season. They went out and signed players like Max Strus. Filling out their roster with shooters.
Cavs On The Rise
Putting those kinds of players around Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland will prove to be beneficial for the Cavaliers’ offense. With a tough defense led by Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, the Cleveland Cavaliers look like a complete team on paper. It will be very interesting to see how well they can mesh and compete next season.
After a disappointing playoff run last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to bounce back in a big way. This young team has the talent to do something special. It all boils down to if they have the experience to win big games. Will the Cavs make a deep run next season? Or will they fall short once again? We will have to wait and see as there is still plenty of offseason left to go.
Image Credits: YouTube.com/Charlettehornets.