Hornets forward P.J. Washington made his 41st start of the 2022/23 season on Tuesday night in Toronto, ensuring that the value of his qualifying offer this summer will be a little higher than initially projected, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
By starting at least half of Charlotte’s 82 games this season, Washington met the “starter criteria” for players who are on track to reach restricted free agency.
Players who were drafted between 10th and 30th overall and meet the starter criteria become eligible for a qualifying offer worth the equivalent of what the ninth overall pick will receive. As the 12th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Washington had been in line for a QO worth $7,992,407, but that figure will be bumped to $8,486,620, per Marks.
For some players, the difference between reaching or not reaching the starter criteria can significantly impact how their free agency plays out, but the $500K increase will be negligible for Washington, especially since he’s a strong candidate to receive a lucrative multiyear contract as a restricted free agent.
If Washington can’t find a suitable offer sheet and can’t work out a multiyear deal with the Hornets, or if he simply wants to become an unrestricted free agent in 2024, it’s possible he’d accept his qualifying offer and play on a one-year, $8.5MM contract next season. But if he negotiates a longer-term agreement, that QO will essentially function as a placeholder.
Washington is the first of 2023’s projected restricted free agents to meet the starter criteria, though Spurs guard Tre Jones should be right behind him. Jones is on track to make his 41st start of the season for San Antonio on Wednesday night.
Which UK duo would you rather have if you could have them for their whole careers, Derek Anderson/Antoine Walker, PJ Washington/Keldon Johnson, John Wall/Eric Bledsoe, Tayshaun Prince/Nazr Mohammed or Malik Monk/Bam Adebayo? Rank a top3 if possible…
I really can’t rank them or even choose one duo as none of the guys you listed have anything to do with the UK, but I do have a top 5 for guys that actually do have ties to the UK. Unfortunately none could be contrived as duos.
1. Loul Deng(born in South Sudan but immigrated to Brixton, South London and has citizenship in both countries)
2. O.G. Anunoby(born in London)
3. Ben Gordon(also born in London)
4. Michael Olowakandi(born in Lagos, Nigeria but moved to London at age 3)
5. John Amaechi(born in Boston but raised in Stockport, England)
I’m pretty sure all those guys have something to do with the UK as descendants of slaves that were bought, sold & transported across the world in the transatlantic slave trade or as children of parents that were born under British colonial rule (Nazr & Bam). I actually meant University of Kentucky tho. Most basketball fans should probably be able to recognize that these are all former UK Wildcats. On another note tho that list of top5 UK basketball players falls off pretty precipitously after BG smh. Why is basketball so dead in the UK?
Can you prove they all came to America that way or that the UK had anything to do with any of their ancestors getting here? Seriously your black panther act gets tiresome and just in case you aren’t aware Africa still has slavery today
Lol do I get my 40acres & a mule if I prove their descendants were victims of the transatlantic slave trade?.. My Black Panther act is tiresome to you. Sound like what J. Edgar Hoover said about Fred Hampton. I better sleep with 1 eye open