The quickly approaching 2021 NBA offseason is going to be loaded with ground breaking headlines, and two teams to watch in NBA trade rumors will be the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers. Could a potential deal centered around Kristaps Porzingis make sense?
The main objective for both the Mavericks and Trail Blazers is to surround their respective franchise-player, Luka Doncic and Damian Lillard, with the necessary pieces it takes to win. It appears evident that Kristaps Porzingis is just not that piece alongside Doncic at this point.
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Throughout the Mavericks’ playoff series with the LA Clippers, Porzingis has been primarily asked to stand behind the 3-point line to catch-and-shoot, or cut along the baseline as a relief option. Against a drop coverage big, he excels, but not against a switch-everything defense that teams will look to deploy against Doncic after seeing the results the Clippers have achieved.
The Trail Blazers, on the other hand, have CJ McCollum alongside Lillard to help better keep the defense honest. While teams obviously hard double Lillard, it’s more extreme for Doncic and it seems as though Porzingis just doesn’t fit in that scenario, but he could better adjust in Portland.
Let’s take a look at what an offseason trade between the Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks could look like that could team up Damian Lillard with a new big man.
