Restricted free agent power forward P.J. Washington has agreed to a brand new three-year, $48 million contract to stay in the Queen City with the Charlotte Hornets, Lift Sports Management agent Kevin Bradbury and Washington Sports Group’s Paul Washington Sr. told ESPN on Saturday.
Washington, 25 years old, was the NBA’s final unsigned restricted free agent this summer.
The agreement avoids a second Hornets forward signing a qualifying offer and becoming eligible to hit the free agency market in 2025, something forward Miles Bridges did in July.
Washington averaged career highs in points (15.7) and 3-pointers (2.0) per game last season. He was the first Hornets player in their 35-year history to average two 3-pointers and a block per game in a season, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Washington, the 12th overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft out of Kentucky, was a work horse, starting 73 games out of 82 for the Hornets last season.
Washington’s career-best season included a 43-point outburst against the Oklahoma City Thunder in March.
