The Dallas Mavericks have been at the center of the NBA rumor mill over the last 24 hours, with multiple reports surfacing over the potential trade scenarios revolving around star big man Kristaps Porzingis.
One of the teams mentioned in those reports as a potential trade suitor for Porzingis and the Mavs was the Golden State Warriors, who like Dallas, has been struggling to find a way to break through this season.
On Tuesday's edition of the K&C Masterpiece on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, Kevin, Cory, and Mike brought up an interesting trade proposal between the two teams, that could send Porzingis to the bay, in exchange for a substantial haul.
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So, who says no to this trade idea?
Mavericks get: James Wiseman, Andrew Wiggins, Alen Smailagic, 2021 first-round pick (top-3 protected) via Minnesota
Warriors get: Kristaps Porzingis, James Johnson, Josh Green
Why does this make sense for the Mavs? Despite the team refuting the reports that they are gauging interest in Porzingis, Dallas would be smart to consider a haul of this nature due to its ability to salvage some of the damage done by their trade with the Knicks to acquire Porzingis in 2019. In that deal, the Mavs sent two first-round picks, along with lottery pick Dennis Smith Jr., and veterans DeAndre Jordan and Wes Matthews to New York, in exchange for Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee, and Trey Burke. This deal would give Dallas a high-upside lottery pick at a position of great need and a highly-valued first-round pick, along with a capable wing in Wiggins, who could help replace the scoring that would be missed with Porzingis. Dallas could also potentially use that pick to select another bright young prospect in the upcoming NBA draft, which is projected to be one of the deepest drafts in quite some time.
Why does this make sense for Golden State? Over the last two seasons, the Warriors have been riddled by injuries to key players, including Klay Thompson, who has not played since the 2018-19 season. In this deal, the Warriors would get a high-caliber scorer in Porzingis, who could help replace the absence of Thompson, and who fits in with the Warriors' style of play almost perfectly. Golden State would also get a big expiring deal in Johnson, which could help alleviate some cap concerns, and a high-upside young wing in Josh Green, that could develop into a solid role player and learn from the likes of Thompson and Draymond Green.
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Why do the Mavericks say no? The simple fact of the matter is that trading Porzingis in any deal is going to be a major risk for the Mavericks. On the one hand, if you do trade him, and he leaves and reaches his full potential with another team, there are very few return hauls that would justify the Mavs being the winners of that deal. On the other, if you don't trade him, you could be stuck with a massive contract that could be a major hindrance to your franchise moving forward. Outside of that, however, there is also the risk of acquiring another big contract in Wiggins, who is set to be making north of $33 million by the time his contract is in its final year in 2022-23. Then there is also the risk of acquiring Wiseman who, while he has shown major promise, has also struggled at times in the Warriors system, so unless they are convinced Wiseman is a sure thing to reach the potential they are seeking in his acquisition, the risk might simply be too great for Dallas to absorb.
Why do the Warriors say no? Outside of the obvious fact that giving up a high first-round pick is always a tough pill to swallow, the Warriors have ostensibly zero guarantees that Porzingis will justify his value in the trade whatsoever. Porzingis has been wildly inconsistent in Dallas, to the point of becoming a major hindrance on the defensive end of the floor, and playing in just 74 of a possible 193 regular-season games with Dallas. Golden State also has to consider the ramifications of giving up on an extremely high-upside lottery pick, that they selected with the second overall pick in last year's draft. Wiseman is a prospect that, given the opportunity, could potentially exceed the type of player Porzingis is at the moment, and perhaps develop into a top-tier NBA big man over the next decade.