Mavericks: Why they should not trade Kristaps Porzingis

The Dallas Mavericks want to build a title contender around superstar Luka Doncic. Kristaps Porzingis trade rumors became a hot topic of conversation after his subpar performance in last season's first-round playoff exit against the LA Clippers.

Those talks died down the deeper the team got into the offseason, and a KP trade seemed to be forgotten for the time being, but after his recent back injury, the question is back. Should the Mavs move on from Porzingis?

Moving on from KP would be a mistake, at least right now. The consensus with Porzignis is that he can't stay healthy, and he's not the same player he was athletically pre-injuries. While I agree that his inability to stay healthy is a massive issue, there are still a plethora of reasons why I would love to keep KP around for the foreseeable future.

Why the Dallas Mavericks should not trade Kristaps Porzingis

So first and foremost, this latest hiccup regarding KP's back is not a massive deal. Is it a little concerning that someone with the lengthy injury history that Porzingis has is missing games? Yes, of course, but it should be a long-term issue. The Unicorn has missed three straight games and remains day-to-day.

Trading KP right now would be dealing a potential star for multiple role players, most likely. His current value is about as low as it could be, so if the thinking with this roster is that they need another star next to Luka, does trading Porzingis give them the best chance to have that?

No team is willing to trade a star in exchange for KP at this moment. Porzingis can be a star, and getting rid of him for what would most likely be role players doesn't make the team better.

KP's on-court performance so far has been impressive. The numbers don't necessarily look fantastic because he has struggled to shoot the ball so far. The Unicorn is averaging 12.7 points per game on 30 percent from the field and 23 percent on his threes. His shooting numbers will jump up, so fans should not be worried.

The Unicorn's defense has been impressive. He has been much better at protecting the rim, and Porzingis has looked a lot more engaged on that side of the ball. His mobility has returned to what it was earlier in his career. Teams try to exploit big men in space, and having a big man that is a defensive liability is a massive negative to a team's overall unit.

It's only a matter of time before KP finds his shooting touch, and when that happens, people will start to realize how valuable he is. In previous years, his aggressiveness and mobility on defense were his most significant problems, and he has seemed to correct those things.

Trading Kristaps Porzingis would be a mistake right now, and the Dallas Mavericks should hang on to him for at least the remainder of the 2021-2022 season.