Mavericks' Kristaps Porzingis trade comes back to wreck them six years later

The Dallas Mavericks fell to 0-2 on Friday night with a 10-point loss to the Washington Wizards at home, and what Mavs fans didn't realize is that one of the pieces from their 2019 trade with the New York Knicks for Kristaps Porzingis destroyed them.

The Mavericks desperately needed a win after being dismantled by the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday evening, but many of the same issues persisted on both ends of the floor. A large reason for this was Kyshawn George.

George finished with 34 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and three blocks while shooting 11-14 from the field and 7-9 from downtown for Washington against Dallas, and the Mavs had no answer for him. George's connection to the Mavs' trade for Porzingis is often forgotten, but he was drafted with the No. 24 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by the Knicks. This pick was then immediately traded to the Wizards on draft night, and he made his presence felt against Dallas.

Kyshawn George destroyed the Mavericks by himself

Along with Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan, and Wesley Matthews, the Mavericks also sent the Knicks a 2021 first-round pick and a 2024 first-round pick, and that pick ultimately turned into George. He is looking like one of the Wizards' best assets as their lengthy rebuild continues, and he is definitely someone for Washington fans to be excited about.

George's first year in Washington started slowly, but he improved significantly as the year went on and is now playing the best basketball of his career. He is averaging 27.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting 60 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from downtown, and his best game of the year happened against Dallas last night.

He definitely took a major step in his development over the summer, and his 34-point slaughter of the Mavericks was a testament to that. His scoring in transition, 3-point shooting off the catch and the dribble, and defense all stood out, and the Mavericks couldn't stop him.

George had way too many open looks from beyond the arc in this one, and he took advantage of the Mavs' lackluster transition defense that they can't seem to figure out. Dallas has been dominated defensively by Victor Wembanyama and George in consecutive games, and even though the Porzingis trade happened over 2,000 days ago, it still came back to indirectly hurt the Mavs at the worst time.