Kristaps Porzingis has just been traded to the Dallas Mavericks and will be joining forces with Luka Doncic. This move will benefit the NBA for more than a decade.
Shortly after a report broke out about Kristaps Porzingis meeting with New York Knicks management and leaving the impression that he is seeking a trade, they decided to move on and make a deal with the Dallas Mavericks.
Here are the details of the trade:
Sources: Full players involved in Knicks/Mavericks deal:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 31, 2019
Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee, Trey Burke to Dallas.
Dennis Smith Jr., Wes Matthews, DeAndre Jordan and likely first-round draft pick compensation to New York.
Also, Porzingis is likely going to sign a qualifying offer with the Mavericks after he becomes a restricted free agent.
This deal is decent especially since the Knicks receive role players who proved they can be effective in their roles. Although, the Mavericks clearly benefitted the most from this trade.
Not to say that a Porzingis departure wasn’t expected due to the Knicks reputation, but the timing has still been quite alarming.
Especially since Porzingis has yet to return from his ACL injury last February and give the Knicks another chance to prove themselves as a worthy franchise for his talents.
Last season Porzingis averaged a career high in points (22.7), and blocks (2.4), along with 6.6 rebounds per game.
Joining a young Mavericks team who are being led by rookie sensation Luka Dončić will prove to be an exciting duo for their franchise and the NBA.
Kudos to Mark Cuban and the Mavericks for arguably making the biggest trade in team history.
The Duo of Doncic and Porzingis
The new and exciting pairing of an almost 20-year-old Dončić and 23-year-old Porzingis will prove to be the greatest European duo in NBA history.
Doncic, who is currently averaging 20.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists per game, will welcome the 7-foot-3 Latvian with open arms.
The Slovenian-Serb and Latvian combo will instantly become must-watch tv as they have many years of their careers ahead of them.
Their playing styles will blend perfectly as they will automatically be a deadly pick-and-roll combination.
Doncic is essentially getting the chance to play with a player who has drawn comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki, who is at the end of his career, making this trade a match made in heaven.
Knicks get the cap space to pursue two max free agents in the summer as well as future first-round draft compensation and Dennis Smith Jr. Dallas gets to pair Kristaps Porzingis w/Luka Doncic to move into the post-Dirk Era with two of the most exciting Europeans in league history
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 31, 2019
That is a statement that will likely be proven further regardless if Nowitzki is still on the Mavericks or not after this season or the next.
I suppose this short clip says enough about the relationship between the new duo:
"Save my spot on the plane tonight" pic.twitter.com/IKwcE3Ufad
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 31, 2019
Conclusion
The basketball world has been taken off-guard with this recent blockbuster trade.
Porzingis is the only (European-born or not) player to be compared to Dirk Nowitzki, and now he has a chance to surpass him with his mentorship while playing alongside Luka Dončić.
The careers of Porzingis and Dončić will reach new heights as they will create a legacy in Dallas for more than a decade.
If Porzingis returns this season, we can get a glimpse of the future of one of the most exciting duos in NBA history.