Since 2016, the only thing the Charlotte Hornets have fought for is positioning in the NBA Draft lottery. This franchise has missed the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons and while they have had a handful of high-level talents on their roster through the years, the Hornets have had trouble retaining said players. Now, they are running into a very familiar problem with former first-round pick PJ Washington.

A lot of Charlotte's problems regarding them keeping talented players has been their unwillingness to spend a lot of money in free agency. Maybe new ownership coming in and taking over will change this philosophy, but other than agreeing to a five-year extension worth upwards of $260 million with All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball, the Hornets have not spent any money to truly make their team better this offseason.

The return of Miles Bridges, after he sat out the entirety of the 2022-23 season due to domestic violence charges against him, will increase this team's productivity on the offensive-end of the floor, and rookie Brandon Miller should also find success as a secondary scorer next to Ball on the wing. However, Washington's future with the organization remains in doubt, which is a surprise given how much success he found with them last season.

Every year that he has been in the league, Washington has grown as a two-way, versatile forward that can play out on the perimeter or in the paint on either end of the floor. His length and agileness makes him an above-average defender for his position and the former 12th overall pick has grown as a scorer over his first four seasons in Charlotte. In fact, he averaged a career-high 15.7 points per game this past year while knocking down an average of 5.9 field goals per game and 2.0 threes per game, both of which were also career-highs.

Turning 25 at the end of August, Washington entered the offseason as one of the better free agents available and it is very surprising to still see him as a restricted free agent with close to two-thirds of the league done making moves this summer. No team has cap space left and very few teams still have access to their mid-level exception, so what does the immediate future hold for Washington?

P.J. Washington's future with Hornets

PJ Washington, Charlotte Hornets

Before free agency began on June 30, the Hornets extended a $8.49 million qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent. To this point, no team has approached Washington looking to sign him to an offer sheet, as he is looking for long-term security.

Based on what he did last season and the fact that he is a rising talent at the power forward spot, Washington has every right to want a new, long-term contract. He's definitely earned his spot in Charlotte and could help a lot of playoff contending teams around the league.

The problem right now, though, is that nobody has any more money to spend and the Hornets forward caught himself in an awkward spot at a very bad time this summer. This free agent class was not as deep as it has been in year's past and trade rumors surrounding stars such as Damian Lillard, James Harden and Pascal Siakam have drawn the attention of rival teams the last few months.

Many organizations have been waiting to see what happens with these three All-Stars, as where they end up could result in certain teams having to make additional moves this offseason. In Washington's case, money and opportunity have been the two factors missing, as no team around the league is wanting to invest close to $20 million per year in him, the amount he is looking for according to Chris Fedor from Cleveland.com.

A return to Charlotte on the one-year, nearly $8.5 million qualifying offer seems like the most likely scenario for Washington and the Hornets at this time, as league sources stated a similar notion during NBA Summer League in July. The Hornets already carry a near $120 million payroll into the 2023-24 season, a number that is only going to increase moving forward with Ball's recent extension. This is one of the main reasons why the organization is hesitant to offer Washington a long-term extension.

Bridges being back and the team drafting Miller second overall also takes minutes and overall opportunity away from Washington, which is why Charlotte does not view him as someone who should be their second or third-highest paid player.

In the event that Washington does accept his qualifying offer, he will have the freedom to negotiate a new contract with any other team in the league as an unrestricted free agent in 2024. Obviously, a one-year deal is not what he wants, but at least the young forward would be able to seek out the deal he deserves with a team of his choice. The best part about being an unrestricted free agent next summer is the fact that he will not having to worry about Charlotte matching any offers that come his way.

With training camp a little over a month away, no progress has been made between the Hornets and Washington on a new contract, which is why the general consensus around the league is that he will accept the one-year deal.

Will the Hornets trade Washington?

There is always the possibility of a late-offseason sign-and-trade happening when looking at Washington's situation. The Dallas Mavericks were thought by some to be a potential landing spot in a sign-and-trade for the Hornets forward, but the Mavs turned their attention to others in Seth Curry and Grant Williams instead.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are another team that has been linked to Washington and for good reason. Claiming the 4-seed in the Eastern Conference last season and proving that they can be a real threat with Donovan Mitchell as their leader, the Cavs are a young, dynamic team that really got after it on the defensive-end of the floor last season. They could use more depth in their frontcourt and adding a forward like Washington who can play a handful of positions really opens things up for this team.

Potentially landing Washington in a sign-and-trade would be extremely difficult for the Cavaliers to do, though. They already acquired Max Strus via a sign-and-trade with the Miami Heat this offseason, meaning that they are hard-capped for the 2023-24 season. By striking a deal with the Hornets, they would be adding at least $15 million per year on a new contract with Washington and Cleveland would have to likely sacrifice assets such as Jarrett Allen and/or Isaac Okoro, something they have been unwilling to do.

A team like the Memphis Grizzlies could also benefit in similar way to that of the Cavaliers if they were to get in the mix for Washington via a sign-and-trade, but the question of what they would give up highlights this scenario as well. Memphis got rid of Dillon Brooks on the wing this offseason and big man Brandon Clarke will likely miss a vast majority, if not all of, the 2023-24 season due to an Achilles injury. There is an obvious need here for a dynamic forward, hence why this could be a potential landing spot as well. It is worth noting that there have been no indications suggesting that the Grizzlies are interested in pursuing a deal with the Hornets.

While a sign-and-trade seems like the second-most likely option for both Washington and the Hornets if a long-term deal cannot be reached, it just does not seem feasible that any team will be looking to give up a lot for him at this point in the offseason in order to absorb a new, near $20 million per year contract. Even at $15 million per year, it is hard to see any organization budging on this type of trade.

It has become clear that things in Charlotte are a little shaky right now, which is why taking a one-year deal and leaving next offseason is the best scenario for Washington at this point. There is always the option that the team could look to work with him and deal him to another organization interested in signing him long-term at the trade deadline as well.

In terms of his short-term future, Washington staying in Charlotte to begin the new NBA season remains likely. As far as his long-term future goes, it is hard to imagine that he will remain with the Hornets past the trade deadline in February.