Report: Mavericks Asked for Gary Trent Jr. in Kristaps Porzingis Trade Discussions

The Dallas Mavericks reportedly asked the Toronto Raptors for Gary Trent Jr. in trade talks for Kristaps Porzingis ahead of the trade deadline

Aaron Rose | Mar 4, 2022

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The Dallas Mavericks may have been asking for a little bit more than just Goran Dragic and salary filler from the Toronto Raptors when Kristaps Porzingis' name surfaced in trade discussions.

It's widely been reported that the Raptors were in serious talks to acquire the 7-foot-3 Lithuanian who Dallas eventually flipped to the Washington Wizards for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans. Talks were believed to center around Dragic, Luka Doncic's longtime friend and Slovenian countryman who Dallas had eyes on prior to the trade deadline. However, the Mavericks reportedly asked for Dragic and Gary Trent Jr., ESPN's Tim MacMahon told Zach Lowe on the Lowe Post podcast.

Toronto, MacMahon said, quickly shot down that request, preferring to keep the 23-year-old sharpshooter and retain the salary cap flexibility Porzingis' massive contract would have eaten into.

After the deadline, Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said the team looked at multiple options including taking on some long-term money in some big deals, but the team didn't want to make any big changes mid-season and preferred to retain cap space moving forward.

Considering Porzingis is yet to play following the trade deadline and there's no timetable for his return, the Raptors certainly made the wise decision, opting to keep Trent and flip Dragic and a first-round pick for Thad Young and the Detroit Pistons' second-rounder.

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