Exploring Path for Mavs Trade Reunion with Wizards’ Kristaps Porzingis

With roster upgrades necessary for the Mavericks this offseason, could Dallas look to bring back old friend Kristaps Porzingis?

Prior to the 2019 NBA trade deadline, the Dallas Mavericks swung for the fences, acquiring then-New York Knicks All-Star Kristaps Porzingis to pair with budding superstar Luka Doncic. Despite the ceiling of the duo, they never quite realized their potential, as the chemistry between the two was average at best. That, along with unfortunate and untimely injuries, led to the Mavs moving on from Porzingis in 2022.

Porzingis, now a member of the Washington Wizards, recently appeared on "The Ariel Helwani Basketball Show" and spoke on his time in Dallas and why the duo of he and Luka Doncic didn't work out, which he took the brute of the blame for. 

“I thought so too, for sure,” Porzingis said while agreeing that his fit with Doncic wasn't a perfect one. “Yeah, I don’t know. We never played up to that level. And a lot of it’s on me.”

Porzingis had an up and down experience in Dallas over 2.5 years, dealing with several injuries and inconsistent play, which ultimately led to his departure. KP had the chance to clown on the Mavericks for missing the playoffs this season but took the higher road in saying that he wishes 'everybody in the organization the best,’ which led to Mavs Twitter begging for him to return to Dallas.

Sure, the Mavs could certainly use a big man who averaged a career-high 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting a career-high 49.8 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from downtown, but what could that path look like for Dallas to reunite with Porzingis?

Going into this summer, Porzingis has a player option of just over $36 million which he can choose to decline in order to hit the open market. Now, for the Mavericks, they wouldn't have the cap space necessary to sign KP outright if he were to hit free agency, which only leaves a potential trade as the only option to bring back the Latvian big man. 

As for the trade market, to acquire Porzingis, the Mavericks would likely need to part with Kyrie Irving in a sign-and-trade, as Dallas just doesn't have the necessary assets in a one-for-one deal … that is, unless things break their way in next week’s lottery drawing. Would losing Irving be worth bring back Porzingis?

Both Irving and Porzingis have huge question marks, but when on the floor, and healthy, both would immediately raise Dallas' floor by a notch or two.

Hypothetically, the Mavericks could partake in a three-team blockbuster trade that would center around sending Irving to Phoenix, Suns' Deandre Ayton to Washington, and Porzingis back to Dallas. Or, depending on the Wizards’ preferences, it could simply be a one-on-one sign-and-trade.

For the Mavericks, bringing back a healthy Porzingis, who played 65 games this season — his most since 2016-17 — would be a drastic upgrade to one of the worst frontcourts in the entire league. However, the optics wouldn’t be great, as the Mavs gave up an unprotected 2029 first-round pick to acquire Irving. So trading Irving for Porzingis’ second Dallas stint would make his 2019 trade price look even higher than it was originally.

Would the duo of Doncic and KP be able to reach their upmost potential that wasn’t reached the first time around? Depending on how Irving’s free agency goes, it could be a possibility. After all, the Wizards were one of the teams that made it on the betting-odds list for Irving’s next destination.

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