Mark Cuban Says Kristaps Porzingis Won’t Play For The Mavs This Season As He Continues His Rehab

Getty Image

News that Kristaps Porzingis was traded from the New York Knicks to the Dallas Mavericks sent shock waves through the NBA on Thursday. Porzingis was long thought to be the centerpiece for the Knicks for the foreseeable future, and only recently — when Anthony Davis became available via trade — did anyone really consider a Knicks team without a healthy Porzingis.

But the Mavericks made the most of the situation and took a chance on the injured young superstar, hoping to pair him with rookie Luka Doncic and potentially sign him long-term to compete in the West for years to come. As the initial story gave way to reports of just exactly what went wrong in New York, there was speculation that Porzingis was healthy enough to take the floor this year, yet wary of playing for the Knicks.

That, at least in theory, made some wonder whether Porzingis would suit up for Dallas this year, but according to Mavs owner Mark Cuban, that won’t be happening.

This is fine news if you’re a Mavs fan, who up until Thursday afternoon were just happy to have a player like Doncic to enjoy in what’s been a rebuilding season. A player like Porzingis has immense potential, but he needs time to heal the right way from what could be a career-altering injury.

There was skepticism Porzingis would play this year at all, no matter where he landed. And now the Mavs have about as exciting a 2019 ahead of them as they could have hoped. The Dennis Smith Jr. situation is resolved, Doncic has exceeded expectations and Porzingis is likely to be ready to fire on all cylinders come fall. There’s no need to push things, and it seems like everyone in Dallas is well aware of that right now.

×