P.J. Washington trade rumors should involve the Chicago Bulls

Wednesday night’s 112-138 beatdown at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets has understandably drawn a fair bit of frustration from fans. Losing in this fashion is never ideal, doubly so when it happens on national television. However, there is one thing we learned from this unfortunate series of events, and that is we now can say without a shadow of a doubt that the Chicago Bulls need to make a move for a power forward.

Whether that means making a decisive trade, or patiently navigating the buyout market, Chicago is now significantly understaffed at the power forward position following Derrick Jones Jr.’s right knee injury just one minute into last night’s contest. Jones Jr., who was filling in for Javonte Green, who was filling in for Patrick Williams, left naught but recent G-League signee Alfonzo McKinnie in his wake to guard perhaps the greatest offensive talent of this generation in Kevin Durant.

Obviously, it was entirely unfair to McKinnie to have this burden placed on his shoulders, but that’s the hand he was dealt. Durant predictably posted 27 points and nine assists on 70 percent shooting from the field on the night, thoroughly proving the Bulls simply had no answer to his shot creation and playmaking.

While much external noise has been made about the Bulls potentially making a move for a player like Detroit’s Jerami Grant, we’ve yet to see any indication that Chicago’s front office is willing to pay such a steep price in trade assets and a hefty luxury tax bill required to get a deal like this done. Instead, the Bulls may find a better trading partner in Charlotte, for their under-utilized stretch big man P.J. Washington.

The Chicago Bulls may finally find the solution to their power forward problem in the unexpected form of Charlotte’s P.J. Washington.

Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, who broke several high-profile stories during last summer’s free agency, reports on the possibility.

Despite standing at 6-foot-7, Washington plays the center position as a key reserve player for the Hornets. Coupled with Mason Plumlee, this significant lack of size is precisely why the Hornets have the NBA’s worst interior defense and defensive rebounding roster.

This issue is holding the Hornets back significantly and has left many experts believing they’ll make a push for a big man that can defend the rim — like perhaps Indiana’s Myles Turner. A trade like this would effectively push Washington out of the lineup for good.

P.J. is currently averaging 10.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.1 blocks in just 24.8 minutes played per game. Were Chicago to make a move for him, Washington would not only have an immediate path to more minutes in the absence of Williams, but he’d also have the chance to play at the more natural position for his size at power forward.

While his raw numbers don’t jump off the page, Washington does a lot of the things you want to see complementary players do on a real championship squad. He doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective, because he hits the three at such a high clip; he is currently managing 40.9 percent shooter from deep on 4.6 attempts per game this season.

He’s also no slouch on the defensive side of things, as he has proven the ability to not only generate 2.8 blocks and steals per 36 minutes, but also play great help defense to get stops and push the ball in transition. Throughout his three seasons in the league, Washington has averaged a positive defensive box plus/minus in every season thus far, despite playing alongside Charlotte’s porous supporting cast,

P.J. Washington’s rookie contract is set to expire following the 2022-23 season, and the Hornets have no real route towards giving him the minutes to potentially increase his trade value. LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, and Caleb Martin appear to be the young core Charlotte is intent on building around with talented veterans, leaving Washington as the odd man out.

It seems strange that Charlotte would be willing to part ways with a promising young player like P.J. Washington who has already proven to be productive in the minutes he’s been given, but their front office appears to have a clear direction in mind when it comes to constructing their ideal roster. This feels like an excellent buy-low opportunity for Chicago to not only reinforce their depleted power forward rotation but also pick up affordable depth that can keep the Bulls in contention even after this season has concluded.