SUMMARY
- The Dallas Mavericks currently hold the 5th position in the Western Conference with a record of 16-10 this season.
- n February 2022, the Mavericks traded Kristaps Porziņģis to the Washington Wizards, citing his frequent injuries as a reason for the trade.
The Dallas Mavericks are standing at No. 5 in the Western Conference with 16-10 this season. However, the Mavericks lost their last game against the Denver Nuggets on December 18, 2023. Going down memory lane, the trio of Kristaps Porziņģis, Jalen Brunson, and Luka Dončić, might have worked wonders for the franchise. While some fans grow reminiscent of this idea, others lash out at the decision taken by the front office.
In February 2022, the Mavericks traded Kristaps Porziņģis to the Washington Wizards. Citing his erratic availability owing to frequent injuries, the franchise made the reason public. The star forward/center was drafted in 2015 by the New York Knicks.
However, the knee soreness and ‘unavailability’ in a number of games made the Knicks trade the player to the Mavs. Although it was a golden opportunity for the player, his injury didn’t step back and continued. Due to the injury scare, the center was able to play only 60% of the games.
What could’ve been… wild pic.twitter.com/SAAXB3LKom
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) December 19, 2023
This is when the Mavericks traded off the players for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans. Adding to this, the fans are also furious over the Jalen Brunson trade-off. It’s no secret that if the franchise had signed Brunson for $55 million over four years, they would have had the best contract at that price.
One fan even said, “The front office messed it up.” While the players go on shining for their respective teams, fans lash out at GM Mark Cuban and the front office for not being patient.
Do the Dallas Mavericks need Kristaps Porziņģis and Jalen Brunson?
Jalen Brunson scored his career-high 50 points on December 15, 2023, while facing off against the Phoenix Suns. What’s astonishing is that the Suns had the ‘Big 3’ on the floor, while Brunson dominated the floor. Brunson has very good court vision and the ability to deliver successful cross-court passes is an add-on. Not only does the player finish perfectly around the rim, he is averaging 25.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.8 assists, with a 47.5 field goal percentage this season.
The Mavs could use the player to form a core team around Luka Dončić. However, the ‘ball hogger fluka” wouldn’t give him enough chances to showcase his prowess. While Brunson is living his prime in the NBA, it seems highly unlikely for the player to score this with the Mavs. Shifting on to Porziņģis, the team had its own reasons to trade off the player.
While Porzingis missed every other playoff owing to injuries, the ‘slow simmering tension’ between Luka Dončić and Porziņģis didn’t let the player perform at par. Although there is a possibility that the two, along with Luka Dončić, would have become the Mavs ‘Big 3’ if not traded, they are doing just fine with the new teams.
