DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - The Dallas Mavericks are on a hot streak, winning 10 of their last 12 games, including four-straight. However, that doesn't mean they aren't open to getting better.
One avenue to do that would be to trade star big man Kristaps Porzingis for a massive haul or another star-- something that the Mavs have publicly denounced and denied the idea of in recent weeks.
However, according to a report from ESPN's Tim MacMahon, teams around the league are still viewing Porzingis as an acquirable piece, should the Mavs choose to move on and go in another direction.
Said MacMahon: "Although Mavs owner Mark Cuban and coach Rick Carlisle publicly declared that the team had not engaged in trade discussions regarding Porzingis, the perception among executives around the league is that he is available."
This is not the first time we have heard Porzingis's name in the rumor mill either, with reports surfacing last month about the Mavs openly engaging the Golden State Warriors in trade discussions for the 25-year-old.
Mavs owner Mark Cuban, and later head coach Rick Carlisle, responded to those rumors by publicly denouncing them.
"We have not discussed him with anyone," Cuban told Tim Cato of The Athletic.
Cuban also later joined the Mavs Step Back Podcast on Wednesday, saying that Porzingis was "untouchable" in trade talks. In fact, Cuban doubled down on that idea, telling the podcast that the Mavs were unlikely to make any trade at all, barring a chance to acquire a game-changing star.
“Unless it’s a game-changer star, I don’t see us doing anything at all. So, if somebody decides they're blowing it up, then okay, we'll talk to anybody about any great player," Cuban said. "If it's just, 'okay, we'll trade you this guy for that guy,' and it's really not going to move the needle, then I'd rather go with continuity."
No matter what the Mavs brain trust says, however, according to the report from MacMahon, it appears that the rest of the league still believes Porzingis is available, which will make for an interesting trade deadline come March 25.
