Mavericks' risky Porzingis gamble pays off even more after Celtics' latest trade

If anyone five years ago were to say that Jalen Brunson, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luka Doncic would all play on different teams in 2025, that would've been talking lunacy. Now, as we speak, it's real. Brunson has moved on to become one of the most clutch players in the NBA for the New York Knicks, Porzingis recently won a championship with the Boston Celtics, and Doncic was traded by the Dallas Mavericks out of nowhere to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Many fans criticized Mark Cuban for not re-signing Steve Nash when he was in his prime, as he went on to win two straight MVPs for the Phoenix Suns right after his time in Dallas came to an end. Cuban had signaled that he would keep Porzingis for the long run, but after Porzingis' inconsistency on the court became obvious, the only option was to trade him, as they dealt him to the Washington Wizards at the 2022 trade deadline. That trade with the Wizarrds isn't looking so bad today, considering the number of moves Porzingis has been in since then, signalling that his trade value isn't what it once was.

Porzingis was recently involved in a trade from the Celtics to the Atlanta Hawks. While he hopes to team up with Trae Young in what could be an interesting duo, it shows how unserious GMs are about Porzingis. Following Georges Niang being acquired in the trade that sent Porzingis to Atlanta, Niang was just recently traded to the Utah Jazz along with multiple second-round picks for rookie RJ Luis Jr., meaning Porzingis' identity has diminished significantly.

Mavericks were right all along about Kristaps Porzingis

While Porzingis played in Dallas, he simply couldn't stay on the court. He also suffered injuries during the playoffs in Boston. One play, he caught a hit up high by Orlando Magic big man Goga Bitadze. He then dealt with an uncontrollable illness where it felt like he couldn't get over it. Both of those things are obviously not Porzingis' fault, but it was the same issues that led to his downfall in Dallas.

There was already noise that Porzingis and Jrue Holiday were going to be among the many Celtics that were going to be moved, simply because their tax was through the roof. With Jayson Tatum injured for what will be the majority of next season, the Celtics just blew up their roster, and Porzingis will not have any part of it as Boston salary-dumped him.

Dallas pretty much did the same thing, as the trade that sent him to Washington for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans was viewed as controversial at the time, and the Celtics' move to send him to Atlanta is being viewed in the same light. Boston moving Niang for Luis Jr. further illustrates just how far downhill Porzingis' trade value has gone, and the Hawks will he hoping to help him thrive on his new team.

This will also be Porzingis' fifth team since entering the NBA. Even though he's defied the haters on the night of the 2015 NBA Draft, it seems the Porzingis fever has come to an end. As a one-time NBA All-Star, his peak has come and gone. At 30, Porzingis is likely on his last leg, not necessarily because of age, but because of his history.

Sure, as a Maverick, he was a threat to hit from almost anywhere on the court, but when his game was off, it was obvious that his minutes were almost hindering the entire team. It's unfortunate that his Maverick career wasn't the boom that fans expected. He's going to be likely starting with the Atlanta Hawks, but Hawks fans have to watch how he takes the court, because it's likely that he won't be the same player he once was.