Reviewing the trade that sent former New York Knicks franchise star Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks, one year later.
On January 31, 2019, the New York Knicks traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks, along with Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee for DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr., a 2021 1st round draft pick and a 2023 1st round draft pick (Top-10 Protected).
In light of Mark Cuban’s recent comments regarding the trade, it seemed like a good opportunity to revisit the deal by examining the individual pieces. Let’s start with New York’s new villain Kristaps Porzingis.
After arriving in Dallas, the “unicorn” forward did not play for the remainder of the 2019 season, getting his first chance to return to the court during this current 2019-20 season. While it took him some time to adjust to being the number two option in the offense, he eventually seemed to return to his old-self prior to his devastating injury.
He averaged 19.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, hitting 2.5 three pointers per game at the rate of 34.9%. He has played in 51 of 66 games so far this season. While it’s tough to say if he can continue to be a healthy contributor, Porzingis showed hints that he can return to his dominant self.
Now, let’s get into the major components of the trade, easily overlooked by the headline name.