3. Kristaps Porzingis

When the Dallas Mavericks acquired Kristaps Porzingis from the New York Knicks, many people panned it as a huge victory for the team. Porzingis was a budding All-Star and looked like he could form the next great duo in the NBA along with Luka Doncic. Unfortunately for the Mavericks, things didn’t go as planned.

A lot of the same issues that plagued Porzingis with the Knicks carried on with the Mavericks. His injuries remain a huge obstacle and it seems Dallas got tired of it. That was a deal with New York is one that Dallas now looks to have lost, as they moved on from Porzingis for pennies on the dollar ahead of the deadline.

The Mavericks sent Porzingis to the Washington Wizards, along with a second-round pick, in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans. Dinwiddie and Bertans have both struggled mightily this season and the Mavericks are saving no money in this deal. So, they must have gotten tired of having him because this is a head-scratching deal.

But, for Porzingis, he gets another chance to revive his career. There is less media attention now as he isn’t regarded as a franchise savior as with the Knicks or a foundational pillar such as with Dallas. He has the talent to be those things and the Wizards are hoping it comes to fruition as the running mate alongside Bradley Beal.

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This was a no-risk acquisition for Washington. They had the money tied up in Dinwiddie and Bertans already, but neither player has the upside that The Unicorn does. If Beal leaves in the offseason, Porzingis has shown he can be a stopgap No. 1 option when healthy.