Blazers Free Agency Rumors: PJ Washington to Portland?

It’s been six weeks or so since the start of free agency and Charlotte Hornets forward PJ Washington remains unsigned.

Washington, 24, averaged 15.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game last season with the Hornets in easily his best campaign of his four-year NBA career.

However, Washington is at an impasse as a restricted free agent. Teams have been unwilling to sign Washington, because many expect the Hornets to match whatever offer he is given. And Charlotte is not offering him a contract because he has a qualifying offer of $8.49 million. This means Washington can simply accept a one-year contract for that money and become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Despite his complicated free agency process, thePortland Trail Blazersremain an option for Washington,per Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus.

“The Portland Trail Blazers,San Antonio Spurs,Dallas Mavericksand Indiana Pacers are among the teams that could theoretically pursue Washington,” Pincus writes.

Washington would be a decent fit as a forward that could hypothetically start alongside Jerami Grant in the frontcourt or as one of the first players coming off the bench.

It’s a longshot that Washington plays for a team that isn’t the Hornets this year, but if the qualifying offer was rescinded for whatever reason, or if Charlotte didn’t want to match, Portland should seriously look into the prospects of bringing Washington on board.