Sometimes, after a team loses early in the playoffs, stories of discontent surface. The Dallas Mavericks lost to the Los Angeles Clippers in a Game 7 on Sunday. In short order, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon had a lengthy story on Kristaps Porzingis.
Porzingis has been frustrated, often feeling more like an afterthought than a co-star as Doncic dominates the ball and the spotlight, sources told ESPN. Porzingis frequently made thinly veiled references during his postgame media availabilities, such as saying the “ball actually moved tonight” after high-scoring performances or stating that the offense didn’t involve him on low-scoring nights.
He is not the player he was with the Knicks prior to his ACL tear in 2018. And he only played 43 regular season games this year. But Porzingis averaged a solid 20.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game during the regular season, while shooting a career-best 47.6 percent from the floor. But a fade during the series against the Clippers, as he averaged 13.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game even after a double-double in Game 7, sticks out right now.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has compared the dynamic between Luka Doncic and Porzingis to the early stages of Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry years ago. But referring to Nowitzki and Terry isn’t relevant. In Dallas’ current situation, players who can’t embrace a role around Doncic will be a strained fit. The Mavericks need to find a viable No. 2 to take some load off their young star. But Porzingis is clearly not it, and also unhappy with a secondary role.
If he’s truly unhappy enough, Porzingis could ask for a trade. If he’s going to have stories about him that become a distraction, the Mavericks might even want to trade him if they can. Kevin O’Conner of The Ringer spoke about Porzingis on a recent episode of “The Void.”
The trouble here is that the Dallas Mavericks are facing a challenge to make massive changes to the roster,” Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer said. “Porzingis has two seasons left plus a player option for a third year left on his contract, and teams don’t want him if they try to trade him. Mark Cuban denied previous reports that the Mavericks shopped Porzingis but at the least league sources have told me interest in Porzingis is ‘minimal.’
Teams are scared off by the money, the health and possibly his diminishing production. And because of the picks owed to the [New York] Knicks, Dallas can’t deal another first-round pick until at least 2025. Not only that, aside from Jalen Brunson, Dallas’ young players haven’t shown much. So the team has limited trading power in terms of its draft picks and players and they also have some tough decisions to make this coming offseason as well with a number of different upcoming free agents.
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The Mavericks are probably stuck with Kristaps Porzingis
O’Connor referenced the money Porzingis is owed. He is due to make $31.65 million next season, then $33.8 million in 2022-23. For 2023-24, he has a $36 million player option. If he was performing at his best consistently, that might be too much money. In the eroded state he’s in, that’s an albatross contract no one will want. Owing in part to injuries, he has faded badly defensively since his best pre-injury days with the Knicks. On the offensive end, he doesn’t handle the ball or facilitate especially well. During the regular season this year, his assist-to-turnover ratio was nearly 1-to-1 (1.6 assists per game, 1.2 turnovers per game). However, he has become sufficient as a 3-point shooter (37.6 percent this year).
A bad contract makes Porzingis virtually untradeable. All it takes is one team to show interest though. So if the Mavericks entertain moving him this offseason, a way might meet their will.
