NBA Trade Rumors: Mavericks may be giving up on Kristaps Porzingis

The Dallas Mavericks continue to struggle this NBA season and it looks like the organization may be shopping around Kristaps Porzingis.

NBA fans had to be excited to see the growth of the Dallas Mavericks this season after the way their season ended in the bubble last year. Instead, the Mavs are currently 14-15 and hold the ninth spot in the Western Conference. While Luka Doncic is still proving to be the player we all think he can be, Kristaps Porzingis has been steadily declining. Porzingis was brought to Dallas to help sure up their defense and to provide scoring support for Doncic but those plans just have not worked.

Porzingis was one of the best performers in the NBA bubble last season. Before his meniscus injury, he averaged 30.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks while shooting 38.1 percent from 3 in Orlando. While he’s maintained his shooting, for the most part, his effectiveness or lack thereof on the other end of the floor is becoming more apparent with each game.

Now, it looks like his inability to stay on the floor has the Mavericks shopping him around.

The Mavericks are reportedly quietly gauging Kristaps Porzingis’ trade value

Porzingis has played in only 17 of the Mavericks’ 29 games so far this season. The 25-year-old has been injury-ridden quite a bit in his short career thus far and it looks like Dallas may be looking to see what they can get for the 7’3 star.

According to Bleacher Report, the Mavericks have been asking around the league about Porzingis’ trade value. “They’ve definitely sniffed around on him,” an assistant general manager told Bleacher Report. “They’re taking the temperature because they know at some point it’s gonna come around.”

The Mavs’ growth this season has surely been stunted by injuries and COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Still, the organization is said to still be hopeful that they can turn the season around. They are likely to be active before the trade deadline but we’ll have to wait and see if Porzingis is a piece moved off of their board in the near future.