P.J. Washington has the kind of game that naturally turns into a warning label.
At 6-foot-7 with a 7-foot-2.5 wingspan and a 230-pound frame, he already looks built for contact. But the bigger edge is how he plays: he doesn’t blink, he doesn’t get pushed around, and he’s always ready to step in when a teammate needs support.
That matters now more than ever for Dallas. The Mavericks are a much younger team than the one Washington joined after being traded to Dallas at the trade deadline in 2024, and that shift puts a premium on someone willing to absorb the rough stuff and answer it.
In today’s NBA, that role usually belongs to veterans, and young players tend to draw the most trash talk and the cheapest shots. Washington has every chance to fill that space for the Mavs.
His voice and edge have already shown up in Dallas. He has been one of the team’s most vocal leaders, and that toughness helps set a tone the Mavericks are going to need as they open the Dusty May era with 10 of their 18 players being 24 years old or younger. Dallas has to be ready to throw the first punch, not literally, and Washington figures to be central to that identity.
He’s also one of the most experienced holdovers on the roster. Washington is one of four players still around from the 2024 NBA Finals team, and that kind of background matters when games get heated. He’s been through pressure before, and that experience can keep Dallas steady when things start to tilt.
The enforcer moments are already part of his Mavericks résumé. He stood up for Daniel Gafford after a hard foul from Jalen Duren in 2024, shoved Jusuf Nurkic to the ground after he struck Naji Marshall in the head, and pushed Russell Westbrook after he shoved Luka Doncic in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. A few of those sequences ended with ejections, which only underlined the point: Washington is willing to “stand on business” when the moment calls for it.
That attitude should matter again as Dallas tries to end a two-year playoff drought. With so many new faces in the room, Washington’s edge can help give the team an identity on nights when the game gets chippy. And with Cooper Flagg already emerging as one of the best young players in the NBA, Washington figures to be the first Maverick in the mix if anything gets out of hand.
He filled that role for Luka Doncic in the past, and the same instinct should carry over to Flagg. Washington knows exactly what he is, and that’s part of what makes him so valuable. Any playoff team would love a player who brings that kind of toughness without needing the spotlight.
In Other News...
Mavericks Could Have A Surprising Daniel Gafford Frontcourt Decision Ahead
The Mavericks frontcourt has become a natural place to look for possible maneuvering as the franchise keeps sorting through a rebuilding picture around its big men. Daniel Gafford has been a useful piece for Dallas, but in a league where salary, roster fit and long-term planning all pull in different directions, even steady contributors can surface in trade conversations if the return lines up with the teams next phase.
One speculative proposal has Toronto trying to fortify its interior after landing Kawhi Leonard, with Dallas weighing whether a veteran center swap could fit its own timeline. The financial side matters here, especially for a Raptors club staring at a hefty tax bill, and the Mavericks interest would hinge on whether the incoming piece offers enough stability to make a frontcourt reshuffle worthwhile. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Martin Suddenly Faces Real Pressure In Dallas Rotation
When the Mavericks sent Quentin Grimes out in 2025 for Caleb Martin, it was the kind of swap that was supposed to help reshape the roster around a tougher, more versatile wing. Instead, the comparison has grown awkward in a hurry. Grimes has turned in strong stretches elsewhere, while Martins time in Dallas has been marked by injuries, uneven play and enough missed opportunity to make the trade look far less settled than it did on paper.
Now Martin finds himself in a more urgent spot than before, because Dallas cannot afford to let a sizable investment drift without a clear role. With the roster changing around him, the path forward is simple enough in theory: earn real rotation minutes, stabilize his standing and rebuild some trade value in the process. The Mavericks need that version of Martin soon, not as a hope for later, but as part of a rotation that needs dependable pieces now. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Enter Camp With One Huge Question After Summer Overhaul
The Mavericks head into camp with a very different look after a summer that touched nearly every part of the operation. Masai Ujiri is in as team president and alternate governor, Mike Schmitz has taken over as GM and Dusty May is now running the sideline, while the roster has been reshaped through draft picks and moves involving Sergio De Larrea, Brandon Williams, Khris Middleton and Naji Marshall.
Even with all that turnover, the biggest issue in Dallas is not who arrived so much as how all the new pieces fit together once practices begin. A front office reset, a coaching change and multiple roster additions can create momentum in a hurry, but it can also leave one central question hanging over camp: what does the Mavericks' new identity actually look like when the games start for real? [Read more 🡒]