Official renewal! 27-year-old 3D becomes a championship puzzle, Mavericks, take off

The Mavericks recently announced a major renewal news: the team signed a 4-year, $90 million contract with 27-year-old forward PJ - Washington. This is not only the largest contract Washington can get at this stage, but also reflects the Mavericks' sincerity - without price reduction operations, directly giving long-term guarantees to this key 3D player.

After this renewal, Washington's contract structure has undergone adjustments: he originally had a remaining $14.15 million in 1 year (the original contract was 46.5 million in 3 years and expired in 2026), and the remaining contract has become 5 years of $104 million, with an annual salary increasing year by year, and he will receive $24.6 million in the 2029-30 season. In the NBA, which now has an annual salary of 30 to 40 million yuan, this contract with an average annual rate of about 20 million yuan is an extremely cost-effective operation.

was born in Washington on August 23, 1998, just celebrated his 27th birthday and is in the golden rising period for players. His physical condition with a height of 2 meters 01 and an arm span of 2 meters 19 is perfectly adapted to modern basketball's demand for 3D forwards - he can not only make three-pointers from the outside to open up space, but also cover multiple positions on the defensive end. In the 2024-25 season, he averaged 32.2 minutes per game for the Mavericks, contributing 14.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.1 blocks, and a comprehensive data of three shooting percentages of 45.3%/38.1%/72.2%. The stable output on both offense and defense makes him an indispensable part of the Mavericks lineup.

And Washington's value is more vividly reflected on the defensive end. In the 2024 Western Conference Finals, he showed his top defensive level against the Timberwolves double stars: against Towns, the latter made only 18 of 52 shots, and the shooting percentage plummeted to 34.6%; when defending Edwards, he also limited his shooting percentage to 36.8%.这样的 “锁防” 表现，正是独行侠愿意为他开出 4 年 9000 万合同的核心原因 —— 在竞争激烈的西部，优质防守资源向来稀缺，而华盛顿恰好填补了独行侠外线防守的关键缺口。

It is worth noting that after this contract renewal, Washington will not be able to be traded next season, which means the Mavericks have regarded him as a long-term championship puzzle.

Looking back on this offseason, the Mavericks' operations were very targeted: Irving renewed 119 million yuan for three years to stabilize the core of the backcourt, and signed Russell for 11.6 million yuan for two years to make up for Irving's injury vacancy, and selected potential star Flag with the No. 1 pick. In addition, this renewal of Washington, a lineup with both strength and potential has been initially formed.

If the contract is not renewed in time, by the time Washington becomes a free agent next year's offseason, the Mavericks are likely to face a "bamboo basket is in vain". After all, such a 3D forward line has long been the target of many teams in the league.

From the perspective of the Mavericks' overall plan, renewing the contract with Washington is an operation that focuses on the present and takes into account the future. Washington, 27, still has room for improvement. His defensive ability can adapt to different opponents, and his offensive stability is also increasing year by year.

With the addition of players such as Russell and Flag, and Washington staying with the team, the Mavericks' competitiveness next season will undoubtedly be greatly improved.

As for the final choice of the starting lineup, it may still need to be determined through actual combat in the regular season, but it is certain that Washington's staying in the team has given the Mavericks another important weight on the road to the Western Conference and even the championship.