The Dallas Mavericks acquired another franchise cornerstone when they engaged in a blockbuster deal with the New York Knicks before the February NBA trade deadline. Most people believe that the Mavericks took a huge risk when they traded for Kristaps Porzingis. Not only is he still recovering from an ACL injury, but Porzingis is also set to hit the free agency market next July.
As a restricted free agent, the Mavericks will only be able to match offers from other NBA teams just to bring Kristaps Porzingis back. But things will start to be complicated in Dallas once the Latvian center chooses to sign the one-year qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2020. However, based on his recent interview with Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News , it seems like Mavericks’ fans don’t need to worry about Porzingis’ future in Dallas.
Kristaps Porzingis has yet to play a single game as a Maverick, but he’s already envisioning himself playing long-term in Dallas.
“Most definitely, yeah,” Porzingis said. “I love it here so far. I’ve been extremely happy here.”
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has already expressed his desire to spend a huge amount of money just to re-sign Kristaps Porzingis next July. As Townsend noted, giving Porzingis a five-year, $158 million extension in the 2019 NBA free agency is a “no-brainer” for the Mavericks. Though Porzingis and the Mavericks cannot discuss contract terms until July 1, Dallas has started making preparations for his long-term stay.
Unlike the Knicks, who reportedly refused to give jobs to some of the members of Kristaps Porzingis’ inner circle, the Mavericks recently agreed to add Manolo Valdivieso, the Latvian center’s personal physiotherapist, to the team’s training staff.
“Nobody has any problem of the territory,” Porzingis said. “It’s all open and we’re all working together. That was something that I wanted to have. And I’m happy that the Dallas Mavericks organization and the people who are here are so open and so willing to help us out with anything.”
All signs point toward the Mavericks preparing for a long-term union with Kristaps Porzingis. Details: https://t.co/vVT8RN7Ngk
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) March 9, 2019
Keeping Kristaps Porzingis happy should be a priority for the Mavericks if they don’t want him to entertain offers from other NBA teams in the upcoming free agency. It’s not the first time that the Mavericks have added a player’s personal trainer to their staff. They did the same thing when they acquired Dirk Nowitzki, where his longtime coach and mentor, Holger Geschwindner, has become part of the Mavericks’ organization for almost two decades.
