Kristaps Porzingis & Mavericks - What's Going On?

Porzingis heard his name pop up in the trade rumor mill. 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. The reality is that moving on from Porzingis would probably represent a major step backward for the Mavs, who envisioned him as Luka Doncic's long-term co-star when they traded for him two years ago. Dallas needs Porzingis, who is in the second season of a five-year, $158 million maximum contract, to play up to his "unicorn" potential with his blend of skills to be any sort of a threat in the competitive Western Conference. The good news: Porzingis has provided glimpses of that possibility again recently. His first performance coming out of the All-Star break -- a 28-point, 14-rebound outing in Wednesday's 115-104 win over the San Antonio Spurs -- was certainly encouraging. #KristapsPorzingis #DallasMavericks #NBA2021