Some have speculated Kristaps Porzingis, a one-time All-Star and the Mavs’ second-leading scorer behind Slovenian phenom Luka Doncic, could be available at the upcoming NBA trade deadline. The 25-year-old Porzingis, whose 49.2 field goal percentage this season represents a career-high, would be a great get for any team in need of a slick-shooting stretch four. Unfortunately, Mark Cuban says he’s not for sale.
“We’re not trading KP,” the longtime Mavericks owner said during his appearance Wednesday on “Live with Kelly and Ryan. “You heard it here first, it’s definitely not going to happen.”
Porzingis, who missed most of the season’s opening month while recovering from a meniscus tear suffered in the Orlando Bubble last summer, got off to an admittedly slow start in 2020-21 but has played much better of late, averaging 22.5 points on ultra-efficient 54.6-percent shooting over his last 10 contests. The surging Mavs have won all but two of those games, pushing their season record to 20-18, good for eighth in the Western Conference.
Had Dallas dealt Porzingis, many would have seen it as an admission of defeat, throwing in the towel on the former fourth overall pick just two years after acquiring him from the Knicks in a blockbuster trade. Though the Latvian seven-footer’s durability remains a concern—he’s appeared in only 83 of a possible 119 games (postseason included) since debuting for the Mavs in 2019—Porzingis has been an effective No. 2 scoring option for Dallas when healthy.
While it doesn’t appear Porzingis is going anywhere, we should see plenty of movement ahead of next week’s March 25th deadline with LaMarcus Aldridge, Harrison Barnes, John Collins, Andre Drummond, Victor Oladipo, P.J. Tucker and Nikola Vucevic among this year’s crop of rumored trade candidates.
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