Does this trade make sense for the Dallas Mavericks?
Swinging Porzingis for Wood and Gordon, even though Gordon’s contract is not favorable, is a great move for the Dallas Mavericks to make because there is no long-term success on the horizon with Kristaps Porzingis on their roster. They swung for the fences during the 2018-19 season when they acquired him from the Knicks, but this experiment just has not worked out for Dallas.
No knock to Kristaps Porzingis and what he can still do in this league as a 26-year-old big man, but he just does not fit in well next to Luka Doncic on this roster.
There is no guarantee that Christian Wood could be any better, but being more dynamic and more focused on what the Mavericks need from their big men, Wood is definitely a better fit based on first glance.
One of the main reasons Porzingis does not fit in with the Mavericks is because he is always looking to shoot from the perimeter on offense and does not really play to his size.
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Christian Wood not only plays to his size, but he is everything Dallas needs in a pick-and-roll frontcourt player. Wood also has the ability to knock down three-point shots, so they would not have to necessarily abandon their “big man shooting threes” approach on offense.
Dallas is going to be in a tough spot financially over the next few years and a large part of that is because of Kristaps Porzingis’ contract.
While they would be taking on Eric Gordon’s large contract, the Mavericks would wind up saving $1.4M in this trade this season, $1.29M next season and then $15.1M during the 2023-24 season, should they keep Gordon that long compared to Porzingis’ contract and since Wood’s contract expires following the 2022-23 season.
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The Mavericks have a chance to add more scoring depth and players that are more well suited for their system by trading away Kristaps Porzingis, which is why it is safe to believe that they will look to do so ahead of the trade deadline this year.
