By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban discussed the decision to move Kristaps Porzingis on Thursday’s NBA Trade Deadline.
Besides the Latvian big man, the Mavs also sent a protected 2022 second-round draft selection to get Latvian sharpshooter Davis Bertans and Spencer Dinwiddie from the Washington Wizards. To complete the trade, they waived Moses Brown.
“I think KP’s an incredible talent. But we needed that shooter [Bertans] and we needed another ball handler [Dinwiddie] who could create a shot, and unfortunately, that was the only way we were going to get them,” Cuban explained, per The Dallas Morning News, “It was that simple, getting two guys who fill roles that we really needed, and the fact that we have played OK without KP. But I think that doesn’t take anything away from KP being a great talent, and I actually think he’s going to be better with the Wizards than he was with us.”
Porzingis, 26, was traded from the New York Knicks to the Mavericks midway through the 2018-19 Regular Season. The following offseason, he inked a five-year maximum contract extension stretching until the end of the 2022-23 season with a player option for the 2023-24 season. After producing 19.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 0.7 steals per game over 144 appearances while going through multiple injuries, he was traded once again.
“Since day 1, the fans and the city of Dallas welcomed me with open arms and I will always be grateful for that,” he wrote in an Instagram post, “To my teammates, coaches, organization and the city THANK YOU! I wish you all continued success.”
In addition to the trade, the Mavericks agreed with Dorian Finney-Smith on a four-year contract extension and are rumored as the favorites to land Goran Dragic. The veteran Slovenian guard, a close friend and 2017 EuroBasket champion alongside Luka Doncic, is expected to come to terms with the San Antonio Spurs on a contract buyout to become an unrestricted free agent. Sitting out most of the 2021-22 Regular Season as a member of the Toronto Raptors led to him being traded to the Spurs on an expiring contract, in another move of the NBA Trade Deadline.
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