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The Dallas Mavericks seem to have the makings of something awesome when they acquired NBA star Kristaps Porzingis from the New York Knicks two years ago. At the time, everyone thought the Mavericks had crushed the Knicks, and it was hard to dispute that.
Dallas sent expiring contracts to Wesley Matthews and DeAndre Jordan, as New York aimed to land free agency superstars Dennis Smith Jr. and two future first-round picks. Matthews was redeemed before the end of the season, Jordan went into free agency and Smith was a mixed disaster, further strengthening Dallas as the winner. However, things are starting to move in the direction of the Knicks.
The Mavericks have started picking things up in recent weeks, but it coincided with Porzingis being sidelined. Everything Knicks fans have been ridiculed for saying about Porzingis is what Mavericks fans are saying now. It appears that the organization is now trying to leave Porzingis as well.
Rumors began to circulate that Dallas was evaluating interest in Porzingis in the league. Mark Cuban put an end to these rumors, but when there is smoke there is usually fire, and that seems to be the case with Porzinigs.
RELATED: NBA Trade Rumors: 3 Trade Scenarios For Kristaps Porzingis The Mavs Could Consider
According to Marc Spears of the undefeated, Kristaps Porzingis is one player to keep an eye on Dallas marketing him with his salary, injury history and “ high maintenance issues ” cited as reasons.
"No matter what you’re hearing, they say keep an eye on Kristaps Porzingis. He is somebody that Dallas is shopping. Because of salary, injuries, and as one scout said 'high maintenance issues.'"
– Marc J. Spears
(Via ESPN’s The Jump) pic.twitter.com/WZQQlDLgHc— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) February 27, 2021
While Porzingis has made it clear to the Knicks that he doesn’t want to be there long-term, these are the same issues they’ve had with his long-term commitment. Since the start of the 2017-18 season, Porzingis has only played 122 games. He missed the entire 2018-19 season recovering from an ACL tear and also tore his meniscus in 2020, so injury concerns are legitimate.
For Dallas, the long-term deal they made with Porzingis could turn into a real problem quickly as they have to give extensions to Tim Hardaway Jr. and Luka Doncic over the next few seasons. Earning maximum money on a player who cannot stay healthy is not ideal for team building.
RELATED: NBA Trade Rumors: Why Dallas Mavericks Should Consider Trading Kristaps Porzingis
High maintenance issues also pushed his head towards the end of his tenure in New York. Porzingis receives questionable advice and his brother seems to be having a negative influence on him.
Despite being only 25 years old, Kristaps Porzingis’ worth decreases with every game he misses another game. The Mavericks would do well to shop him around and see what kind of package they can get for him, as they are likely to get worse the longer he stays.
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