Luka Doncic is both the now and future of the Dallas Mavericks organization and he will have them competing for NBA championships in the near future, but they are not yet at that point.
Doncic has a chance to be this season’s MVP if he continues to grow on his triple-double-like performances from last season, but his supporting cast is very underwhelming.
Tim Hardaway Jr. emerged as a key scorer late in the season last year, but former All-Star big man Kristaps Porzingis has been a big disappointment over the years. The 7’3” big man scores during the regular season and his stats say that he is doing his job, but Porzingis is a liability at times because of his inability to show up in big moments.
In the postseason, the former Knicks’ All-Star almost refused to play in the paint and was a 7’3” center sitting out on the perimeter shooting three-point shots like a 5’11” guard. This cannot happen for the Dallas Mavericks heading into the 2021-22 season and if they are to be a threat, Porzingis needs to understand that his job is in the paint.
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No player in the league can guard him that close to the basket and with Luka’s abilities to find almost any open guy, Kristpas Porzingis should be on the receiving end of at least half of Doncic’s assists every single night.
All you have to do is throw the ball up at the rim and have Porzingis be there to slam it in, but for some reason, the big man has been unable to do so in Dallas.
Trading him would not be easy, as Porzingis is owed $101.5M over the next three seasons, a contract that could be toxic to many teams around the league, but one team that has constantly been mentioned as a possible trade destination for the Latvian big man, should the Mavs look to move him, is the Golden State Warriors.
Given their style of play-oriented around three-point shooting and having their frontcourt players initiate passes/screens from the perimeter, Kristaps Porzingis could be the perfect player for the Warriors to add in their quest to win their fourth championship in the last eight seasons.
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Things have been rough injury-wise for Golden State through the years, but with Stephen Curry coming off an MVP-like season, Draymond Green being an All-Defensive player, a handful of contributing and experienced players on the bench and Klay Thompson set to make his grand return this year, the Warriors are going to be back.
By midseason, this team could be on their way to the playoffs, but still looking to add just a little bit more firepower to push them over the edge compared to other teams in the Western Conference. This is why we need to keep an eye on the Warriors possibly targeting Kristaps Porzingis this season.
