Mavs Ex Kristaps Porzingis in 'Serious Talks' For Wizards Contract Extension
Just because NBA stars possess more enhanced skills than others, that doesn't necessarily mean they'll mesh well with another star if the opportunity presents itself.
This was the situation the Dallas Mavericks found themselves in a little more than a year ago when they decided to trade Kristaps Porzingis to the Washington Wizards for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans. Porzingis put up admirable number during his three-year stint with the Mavs, but he wasn't able to stay healthy, and even when he was healthy, he still wasn't a perfect fit alongside Luka Doncic.
Fast forward to the present, and The Athletic's Shams Charania is reporting that Porzingis is in 'serious talks' with the Wizards on a contract extension that would keep him off the free agency market this summer.
Porzingis and the Wizards have been serious discussing a new deal in which he would opt out of his $36 million player option for the 2023-24 season and sign a new long-term deal, those sources say.
The Wizards can offer Porzingis a maximum of four years and $180 million if he opts out for next year and extends his deal. The deadline to reach such an agreement is in late June.
Porzingis has played in 65 games so far, which is the most he's played in a season since his second year in the league in 2016-17. The 27-year-old is averaging 23.2 points per game while shooting 49.8 percent from the field – both career-highs. He's also shooting 38.5 percent from deep, which is four full percentage points higher than he ever shot the 3-ball in Dallas.
Despite Porzingis' impressive individual stats, the Wizards are still unlikely to make the postseason. They currently have a 34-42 record and 2.5 games out of the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference with just six games remaining.
Doncic and the Mavs aren't doing much better, as they sit in the No. 11 spot out West with a 37-39 record ahead of Wednesday's showdown with the Philadelphia 76ers. However, they're just a half-game behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 9 spot, one game behind the New Orleans Pelicans for the No. 8 spot and two games behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for the No. 7 spot with six games remaining.
After trading Porzingis last year, Dallas then flipped Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and picks to the Brooklyn Nets at this year's trade deadline for star point guard Kyrie Irving. Like Porzingis, though, Irving has put up incredible numbers with his new team without many wins to show for them.
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