Kristaps Porzingis was never able to escape the pain of injuries in Dallas following the blockbuster deal that brought the 7-foot-3 Latvian man from New York.
The “Unicorn” is no longer with the Mavericks.
According to a source with knowledge of the deal, Dallas will send Porzingis to Washington Wizards in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie (and Davis Bertans), a person who was informed Thursday.
The agreement was made just before the NBA trading deadline. It ends the plan to team Porzingis up with Luka Doncic, a young European star point guard. The trade was not announced so the person spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press.
Porzingis missed five games due to a right knee injury. He has been out of action for 21 of 55 games in this season’s campaign because of multiple injuries and a positive COVID-19-test. Porzingis posted on Instagram that he was traded.
Porzingis wrote, “Since Day 1, the fans and city of Dallas have welcomed me with open arms. I will always be thankful for that,”
Doncic and Porzingis did not form the bond they hoped for when Dallas purchased Porzingis from Knicks in seven-player deals. This deal was made before the 2019 deadline.
Porzingis was still in recovery from surgery on his left knee. This was not too long after he was named All-Star with Knicks in 2018. Kevin Durant called Porzingis the “unicorn” because of his ability to score and move around the perimeter for his size.
Porzingis was always lame for two seasons plus with the Mavericks. He signed a $158 million contract, which covers five years, before he played a single game.
Dallas made the decision not to play Porzingis for the remainder of the 2018-19 season, even though he had fully recovered from his injury with the Knicks. The club hoped that the extra time would improve his health. It didn’t.
From early in his first season, Porzingis’ longest consecutive game streak with the Mavericks was 23. Porzingis was injured in his knee and missed 10 of the next 10 games after he had played in the back-to-back three times.
The rest of Porzingis’ tenure with Dallas was short. He never played more 12 consecutive games. There were issues with his knees, back, ankles and COVID-19.
In 134 games, Porzingis averaged 20 ppg and 8.8 rebound in Dallas. For his career, Porzingis has averaged 18.7 ppg, 7.8 rebound and 1.9 blocks.
Although he declined to comment on trades, Jason Kidd stated that Porzingis was not active before Thursday’s game against Los Angeles Clippers.
Porzingis looked close to making a full recovery from his latest knee injury. The Wizards are in the Eastern Conference’s fringes of the playoff race. Atlanta, a finalist in the East last season, is currently at the 10th spot in the conference. Washington and the Knicks are close behind.
Dinwiddie played in all 44 games for the Wizards this year, scoring an average of 12.6 points per game and 5.8 assists. Dinwiddie is Dallas’s third-leading scorer, with Tim Hardaway Jr. expected to be sidelined until the playoffs due to a broken foot.
Bertans began his career in Dallas with rival San Antonio in 2016-17. He was solid as a backup in Washington the previous two seasons. The 6-10 Latvian is playing less this season due to his rebounding and scoring averages.
Bertans was injured in a calf strain that ended his playoffs season against Philadelphia. Bertans will now be dealing with foot and ankle issues in 2021-22.
Dinwiddie is currently in the first year on a $54million, three-year contract. Bertans still has two years of a $80 million five-year contract.
