Report: Mavericks' Kristaps Porzingis Traded to Wizards for Spencer Dinwiddie, More

The Dallas Mavericks are trading 2018 All-Star Kristaps Porzingis to the Washington Wizards for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon. The trade also includes a second-round pick being sent from Dallas to Washington, per MacMahon and Adrian Wojnarowski.

The seeds for this move were planted during a 2020-21 season that came to a disappointing conclusion.

The Mavs finished fifth in the Western Conference before losing to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. Porzingis didn't play like a star in that series, averaging 13.1 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 29.6 percent from beyond the arc.

"There's a little bit of a mental battle because that's not what I'm used to and where I'm most comfortable," he told reporters after the team was eliminated. " ... Whatever I do, it seems like it's always something, so I just try to be as professional as I can."

Rumors about his future started well before the 2021 postseason, too.

B/R's Jake Fischer reported in February 2021 that Dallas had "quietly gauged the trade market" around the 7'3" center.

Team governor Mark Cuban subsequently denied the rumors:

As they looked to build their roster around Luka Doncic, the Mavs made a big bet on Porzingis.

In addition to sending two first-round picks to the New York Knicks as part of the package to acquire him, they handed him a five-year, $158.2 million extension. At the time he signed the deal, the Latvian hadn't actually played for the team, having missed the entire 2018-19 season while recovering from a torn ACL.

Upon returning to the court, Porzingis hasn't been a significantly different player from the one who rose to stardom with the Knicks. He averaged 20.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 134 appearances for the Mavs. He also shot 44.8 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from three-point territory.

Unfortunately for Dallas, the 26-year-old's defense proved to be a bit of a liability. Speaking anonymously with Fischer, a Western Conference executive offered a harsh assessment.

"It looks like it's impossible for him to get in a stance," the executive said. "He looks like a scarecrow out there. You don't expect him to necessarily be great from the jump, but I've watched Porzingis a couple of times this year, and I'm not sure the guy can guard anybody."

In general, the 2021 playoffs seemed to drive home all of the concerns about the Doncic/Porzingis partnership. Along with the latter's poor performance (13.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and a 29.6 percent clip on three-pointers), MacMahon reported he "has been frustrated, often feeling more like an afterthought than a co-star as Doncic dominates the ball and the spotlight."

Under new head coach Jason Kidd, MacMahon reported in December that Porzingis "has felt refreshed" and appeared to have forged a stronger dynamic with Doncic.

The results weren't really showing up on the court, though, and it got more and more difficult to ignore the need to shake up the roster in a big way. Similarly, casting Porzingis as the second star alongside Doncic was a tougher sell over time.

Doncic isn't leaving anytime soon since he just signed a five-year, $207.1 million extension. Dallas clearly still felt a level of urgency to improve the roster now rather than wait and see whether Porzingis improved.

Because his stock has fallen so far, acquiring Porzingis could be a shrewd gamble for Washington. Quite simply, he can't be much worse than how he played with Dallas.

Wojnarowski reported Monday that Wizards star Bradley Beal was to undergo season-ending wrist surgery. His agent also met with team governor Ted Leonsis and general manager Tommy Sheppard to discuss his long-term future in the nation's capital.

The three-time All-Star has a $36.4 million player option for next season, and this trade seems like a move to appease Beal and convince him to stick around.

Shedding Dinwiddie and Bertans is basically net neutral for Washington since they combine to make $34 million in 2022-23. In Bertans' case, he has at least $38 million coming his way over the next two years—the Mavs can pay $5 million to avoid his full $16 million cap hit in 2024-25.

Getting off Bertans' salary is nice but doesn't ultimately change the Wizards' financial situation given what Porzingis is earning.

Considering what they invested into Porzingis, ultimately landing Dinwiddie and Bertans is an underwhelming return, and it can reasonably lead to speculation about whether the Porzingis/Doncic partnership was worse than Dallas had let on.

Porzingis' inability to stay healthy was also less than ideal for a team that wants to win a championship at some point.

Dinwiddie is averaging 12.6 points and 5.8 assists while shooting 31.0 percent from the perimeter. While the 28-year-old is failing to match his peak with the Brooklyn Nets, he's theoretically the kind of scorer and playmaker who can ease the burden on Doncic.

Bertans, meanwhile, is a floor-spacer, albeit one who's shooting a career-worst 31.9 percent from beyond the arc. His willingness to play off the ball also makes him a good fit in the offense.

Still, general manager Nico Harrison will face big questions if neither Dinwiddie nor Bertans is meaningfully better than how each has played with the Wizards.