Just days after the Washington Wizards lost Bradley Beal for the remainder of the regular season, they got some scoring insurance in Kristaps Porzingis.
Porzingis represents a shift for the Dallas Mavericks, who acquired him back in 2019 from the New York Knicks in hopes he’d add to a 1-2 scoring punch with Luka Doncic. While Porzingis can score when on the floor, the issue has been his consistency and durability due to injury.
Porzingis is averaging just a shade over 19 points per game this season. If the Wizards can get a healthy Unicorn, then perhaps they’ll have something to say about the play-in tournament come playoff time. For now, however, they sit in the No. 11 slot, 1.5 games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the final play-in spot.
Washington Wizards trade grade: B-
The Wizards have to take on the remainder of Porzingis’ contract, which runs through 2023-23 if you count the player option in his final year. Given his injury issues the last few seasons, it’s likely he’ll play in D.C. through then.
On paper, the Wizards have to like the ideal combo of Porzingis and Beal. The only issue, however, is that neither player can stay on the floor. Beal has a player option after this season that he can opt into given his season-ending injury. It’s unclear when exactly he’ll be back.
Washington isn’t a top-tier team in the East and unless they’re satisfied as a middling squad, need to acquire more young talent in hopes of building around both Beal and Porzingis.
Dallas Mavericks trade grade: C
This was never going to look pretty for Dallas, which just punted on Porzingis, thus admitting defeat in their past trade with the Knicks.
The Unicorn never really worked out with the Mavericks, and now Mark Cuban and Co. must answer questions not only of their fanbase, but also Doncic. The Mavs young star does it all for a Dallas team that currently reps the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference.
The Mavs can only go so far with Doncic as their lone threat. Spencer Dinwiddie adds some scoring punch and possibly lends himself as Jalen Brunson insurance. The Villanova product is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Bertans fills a weakness for the Mavs at the wing position — their depth is severely lacking as well. His contract is an ugly one at five years, $80 million.