Did Mavs Miss Out on Best Kristaps Porzingis Trade

The Dallas Mavericks have made it known publicly that they aren’t looking to trade 7’3 big man Kristaps Porzingis.

Although that’s the message owner Mark Cuban has conveyed to the media when rumors surfaced that Porzingis’ name was brought up in Kyrie Irving trade talks with the Brooklyn Nets, it’s hard to believe that Dallas hasn’t ever once considered … listened … shopped … it’s soreness-embattled ‘unicorn’. … And if the Mavs ever were planning on trading Porzingis at some point down the road, they may have already missed their best opportunity.

Everyone knows how talented Porzingis is if he’s healthy and actually playing. He’s averaging 19 points, eight rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes per game this season, despite shooting an uncharacteristic 28-percent from deep. If that shooting clip holds for the rest of the season, it would be a career-worst for Porzingis by five full percentage points.

The problem with Porzingis, though, is that there’s always an ‘if’ attached. You never know when random knee, back or even toe ‘soreness’ will pop up and cause him to miss multiple games.

Given, most of that is just cautionary stuff (at least we hope it is) with the idea being to have Porzingis completely healthy come playoff time. But at some point, the Mavs will need to really consider trying something new. Even when Porzingis is completely healthy and playing, his fit next to Mavs superstar Luka Doncic has always been a little lacking, though they’ve had some nice moments together on occasion.

Kyrie Irving has his own question marks when it comes to his injury history, but lately, it’s been more of his off-the-court controversies that have turned many people off to the idea of trading for him.

But like Porzingis, Irving’s talent is undeniable when he’s healthy and available to play. And one could argue that Irving, even in limited appearances, would help the Mavs more than Porzingis would, given the team’s needs.

When you have a 7’3 injury-prone big man who is making $30 million per year for the next two seasons after this one, it’s going to be tough to find a trade partner willing to give you back something of value in return. With Irving, nearly all the boxes are checked, including the matching salaries that would make such a trade doable.

Whether the Mavs and Nets truly discussed the framework of a Porzingis-Irving trade is doubted by some, due to Cuban’s recent public denial. But according to Mavs GM Nico Harrison, Cuban isn’t always on the other end of the phone when teams call the Mavs about potential trades.

“You’re going to speak with me,” said Harrison when he was asked about who opposing GMs were going to be talking to on 105.3 The Fan’s ‘Shan & RJ’ show.

Assuming that the Nets talked with Harrison about an Irving trade and talks fell through (or never quite went anywhere), did the Mavs miss their best opportunity to catch lightning in a bottle?

Who knows if those rumored talks will pick back up as we progress through this season, but if not, it’s not unreasonable to think that the Mavs may have missed their best opportunity at making a big splash.