Rival teams expect Mavericks to listen on P.J. Washington

The Mavericks haven’t indicated that they want to trade P.J. Washington. Other teams apparently intend to keep asking.

Rival clubs believe Dallas would eventually consider offers for Washington, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line. The reason is straightforward: The Mavericks have a crowd of forwards around Cooper Flagg and Naji Marshall, and new coach Dusty May has yet to settle Washington’s starting role.

That’s a long way from saying a trade is coming. Dallas has remained committed to Washington, and he has made clear he wants to be there. Rival teams, of course, tend to believe a lot of things about players they’d like to acquire.

Washington, 28, averaged 14.2 points and 7.0 rebounds in 56 games last season. He’s also beginning a four-year, $88.7 million extension. A capable, versatile forward under contract for that long will draw calls, especially if his role becomes less certain.

The Lakers have been linked to Washington, which would reunite him with Luka Doncic. That’s an interesting possibility. It’s still only a possibility.

May’s rotation may tell us more than the rumor mill does. If Washington has a substantial role and the Mavericks are winning, Dallas can simply keep the player it has repeatedly shown it wants to keep.