30 Greatest Dallas Mavericks players in franchise history

20. Kristaps Porzingis

Many questioned the 2019 trade to acquire Porzingis. It was clear from the moment that Doncic arrived in Dallas that he was the team’s best player and a special talent. He was just halfway through his rookie season when the Mavs took a swing. KP was an All-Star in 2018, but he was recovering from a torn ACL and expected to miss the remainder of the season when Dallas brought him in.

The Mavs gave up two first-round picks plus three starters to acquire Porzingis, and Dallas inked him to a max contract before he played one game with the franchise. It was a massive gamble given KP’s injury history, but the franchise dreamed of having a superstar duo for the next decade.

Things did not work out as planned. Porzingis produced monster numbers and helped the Mavericks get back to playoffs, but he struggled to stay healthy. His knee injury in the 2020 postseason altered the series against the Clippers, and who knows what would have happened inside the Orlando bubble if he stayed healthy.

Porzingis spent just two and a half seasons in Dallas, but his name is littered across the team’s all-time leaders. He is in the top five in blocks, points, and rebounds per game, and The Unicorn helped the Mavs make back-to-back playoff appearances in 2020 and 2021.