105.3 The Fan's Mike Fisher reported earlier this week that the expectation was that Porzingis and Dallas would quickly agree to a deal.
Here's the original story from Fish bellow:
Kristaps Porzingis arrived in DFW with some questions. And since that time, more questions have arisen. But the Dallas Mavericks have never wavered on their contractual plans for the "Unicorn,'' who when NBA free agency opens on Sunday, June 30 will be in receipt of his max offer of five years and $158 million to remain a Mav.
In fact, a source close to the situation tells me it will be a "5:01 p.m.'' offer -- immediately when the legal window opens -- the time suggesting how much of a priority Porzingis is to Dallas.
Some of the questions about KP are injury-related. Following the February blockbuster trade that brought him to Dallas from New York, Dallas stuck with a decision to have him remain in shut-down mode while recovering from the torn ACL in his left knee sustained on Feb. 6, 2018 while a member of the Knicks. He worked in a full 5-on-5 practice for the first time with the Mavs on March 13, and has looked "fabulous,'' according to coach Rick Carlisle.
"I’ve been feeling great,'' KP wrote on social media at the time, "and I expect a better version of myself when I come back and hoop again.''
Along with the rehab has come a "re-making'' of his body, especially his lower body, hopefully in ways that will allow his 7-3 frame to be less susceptible to injury. The knee is surely fine now; the rest of his body is, too. But when the Mavs made the trade to bring him here, they did so with the understanding that Porzingis, along with his brother and agent Janis Porzingis and his physical therapist Manolo Valdivieso, had created a plan that would be accepted and embraced by Dallas' training staff, led by Casey Smith. You'll recall that during KP's first press conference, Carlisle name-called Janis and Valdivieso, making sure to acknowledge their importance and inviting them into the Mavs family ... something that Porzingis' circle obviously feels never quite happened during his ill-fated time in New York.
And now? Maybe there is another form of "rehab'' needed. Porzingis has found himself embroiled in some unfortunate situations, from a rape charge back in his Knicks days to a bar brawl this summer in Latvia in which he sustained injuries -- but nothing serious enough to keep Dallas from planning on Porzingis, 23, to team with rookie Luka Doncic to push the Mavs up and beyond their present lottery-bound doldrums. Porzingis has been an All-Star. Doncic was nearly one, and figures to be a fixture in that event going forward.
Or maybe, as one source tells me of Porzingis' negative headlines, "He's been in the wrong place at the wrong times.''
“He’s doing a lot of stuff behind the scenes,” Carlisle said recently. “He’s a tremendous talent. That’s obvious. He’s a great kid. He is meticulous in how he approaches things, very detailed, extremely hard-working and organized with everything he does. Those are all the traits of a guy that has a chance to be tremendously great.''
Porzingis, a restricted free agent, first came to Dallas amid reports that he'd only sign a Qualifying Offer and not his max. The Mavs never saw it that way. Assuming KP is true to his word, he never saw it that way, either. The Mavs will plan to secure him at "5:01 p.m.'' while also chasing a class of free agents they believe is led by the likes of Kemba Walker.
"My end goal is to be able to win a championship," Porzingis recently told ESPN. "That is what is on my mind, so I just want to be in a place where everything is done towards making that possible and there's no other stuff, no other distractions. I need more time, honestly, but I believe this can be the place."