Dallas Mavericks: Should they trade Kristaps Porzingis?

Why the Dallas Mavericks should trade Kristaps Porzingis

It is no secret that the Mavs are building the team around Luka Doncic. The 22-year-old is already a top-five player in the NBA and had them on the verge of upsetting the favored Clippers. The Mavericks have some glaring holes on their roster. Improving their overall talent and building a title contender around Doncic is the goal. No player outside of Luka on the roster should be untouchable.

If Dallas can trade Porzingis for an upgrade, they should do it. Given his injury history, contract, and playoff struggles, that seems impossible. The injuries and lack of availability may be the biggest reason the Mavericks should trade him. Porzingis has missed 50 of the team’s 160 games over the last two seasons combined between the regular season and playoffs.

The Mavs could look to improve the fit around Luka with a deal. They need to be a better defensive team to jump into title contention. Dallas allowed 118 or more points in three of their seven postseason games against the Clippers after finishing 21st in defensive rating during the regular season. If the Mavericks could improve their defense and open up enough room to acquire a second star, a Porzingis trade becomes more feasible.

Shipping Kristaps Porzingis out of Dallas this offseason comes down to the return. His value is not at its peak. The Unicorn struggled to get back from his offseason meniscus surgery and arguably had the worst defensive season of his career.

Next: Case against trading KP