Mavericks’ PJ Washington exits vs. Suns with shoulder injury

DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks forward PJ Washington exited Wednesday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns with a left shoulder strain and will not return, the team announced. Washington started the contest and scored six points while playing just over five minutes before exiting. The announcement was made just before the half. At halftime, the Mavs trail the Suns by a score of 63-53.

Injuries have been a big concern for the Mavericks early in the new season. The last thing Dallas needed was another injury concern. Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving and Derek Lively II are among the other players currently battling injury trouble.

Washington, one of the team leaders, has been a bright spot for a Mavs squad that has struggled overall to begin the new campaign. The team entered Wednesday night’s matchup with a 3-8 overall record, but Washington averaged 15.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per outing through his first 11 games played in the season.

The Mavericks are certainly hopeful that Washington will not have to miss too much time. They will proceed with caution, though, as Washington deals with the aforementioned shoulder strain.

The big news heading into Wednesday’s game was the Mavericks’ firing of general manager Nico Harrison. The move comes just over nine months after Harrison traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in what was one of the most shocking deals in NBA history. Dallas was hoping to begin the post-Harrison era with a win, but accomplishing that feat without Washington on the floor will prove to be a challenge.