Kristaps Porzingis and a future second-round pick to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans.
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With NBA trade deadline over, the Dallas Mavericks struck a deal to send Kristaps Porzingis and a future second-round pick to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
At first glance, this is a weird trade for the Mavericks. The Wizards, on the other hand, appear to have done pretty well here.
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Porzingis catches a lot of heat and the narrative around him has become pretty sour over the last few years, in large part because he always seems to be hurt. Yet again, he’s missed 21 games this season and hasn’t played over the last two weeks with a bone bruise on his right knee. It’s not like the Wizards got an All-Star.
Since day 1 the fans and the city of Dallas welcomed me with open arms and I will always be grateful for that.
To my teammates, coaches, organization and the city THANK YOU! I wish you all continued success ? pic.twitter.com/CsRSA53hZ4— Kristaps Porzingis (@kporzee) February 11, 2022
Porzingis isn’t exactly a bargain. He’s making $31.6 million this season, and he’s on the books for $33.8 million next season with a $36 million player option for 2023-24, which, at this rate, you would have to assume he’ll exercise. But again, the belief is that he is someone who can actually help the Wizards win (more than Bertans, certainly, who has been getting DNP-CDs) as they continue to try to put enough around Bradley Beal to convince him to re-sign on a max extension, and then actually stay long term after signing.
It’s a very real risk to shake up a roster that ranks in the top five of defensive ratings and, most importantly, the Western Conference standings. The theory for Dallas is that Dinwiddie is the insurance against potentially losing Jalen Brunson in free agency.
In Dallas, Bertans should get a lot of catch-and-shoot looks playing off the downhill creation of Luka Doncic. We’ll see how much the defense in Dallas falls off if Bertans actually sees real playing time; he’s one of the worst defenders in the league.
Bertans has only played 20 minutes or more three times since Christmas, but in those three games he averaged just under 16 points on 50 percent 3-point shooting (13 for 26). Dinwiddie is a much better player than he’s show in Washington, as well.
