The Milwaukee Bucks should target P.J. Washington this offseason
While the previous two targets are rather established veterans, the Milwaukee Bucks could elect to go younger this offseason with a player like P.J. Washington.
Washington has had a decent three-year run with the Charlotte Hornets to begin his NBA career, showing signs that he could be a robust defender and capable scorer. Due to those factors along with Washington’s 6-foot-7 stature, he could be the perfect small ball four forward for the Bucks to make a run at. Defensively, Washington can guard a handful of positions at a high level, making life tough for whoever he is matched up against. Offensively, he has been solid throughout these first three seasons by averaging 11.8 points per game while hitting 37.5 percent of his triples on 4.4 attempts. At 23-years-old, Washington would inject some youth into one of the NBA’s oldest rosters, which is also quite high on their offseason to-do list.
Unlike the other two players on this list, Washington will not be a free agent this offseason, but a trade target, as he is under contract for $5.8 million next season. That makes Washington a rather affordable trade target for the Bucks, and rumors have been swirling that he may be available for the right price. According to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, Washington was a “trade possibility” for the Hornets prior to the 2022 trade deadline, but they ultimately decided to keep him on the roster. They may be willing to discuss deals involving the forward again this offseason, and there should be some interest on Milwaukee’s end, given what Washington could bring to the table on both sides of the basketball while filling their gaping small ball power forward vacancy.