[brid autoplay=”true” video=”777846″ player=”23231″ title=”5%20ideal%20Damian%20Lillard%20trade%20scenarios” duration=”90″ description=”Could the Portland Trail Blazers be forced into pulling off a Damian Lillard trade this coming summer? Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports seems to think that the all-time great shooter is getting impatient in the Pacific Northwest.For good reason. Despite his otherworldly play, the Blazers have failed in building a contending team around the future Hall of Famer. At 30-years-old, it might be time for the sharpshooting guard to force his way out of the Pacific Northwest.If so, pretty much the entire NBA would come calling for a six-time All-Star who is averaging 27.5 points and 6.9 assists since the start of the 2016-17 season. Below, we look at five ideal offseason Damian Lillard trade scenarios.” uploaddate=”2021-05-06″ thumbnailurl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/thumb/777846_t_1620320766.png” contentUrl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/sd/777846.mp4″]
Dallas Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis has been an injury-plagued enigma since a stellar rookie season with the New York Knicks back in 2015-16.
This has also prevented the 25-year-old Latvian from morphing into a legit star most anticipated he’d become when he entered the league.
Amid a 2020-21 season that has been filled with trade rumors, we’re now seeing some potential drama break out behind the scenes between Porzingis and MVP candidate Luka Doncic. At the very least, boisterous Mavericks owner Mark Cuban recently suggested that this might be the case.
“On the court they are fine,” Cuban said in an interview on 105.3 The Fan.” “That’s not to say their aren’t dust-ups, because there are. I’d compare it to Jet and Dirk.”
Cuban is referring to what was a contentious early relationship between all-time great former Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry.
As for Kristaps Porzingis, he just recently responded to these claims.
“I’ve never had any problems with my teammates off the court,” said Porzingis. “I’ve always gotten along very well with them. I don’t know what Cuban was talking about. I try to be as professional as possible, do what I have to do and be a soldier for the team.”
Regardless, this could be a major backdrop as the Dallas Mavericks close out the regular season and head to the NBA Playoffs. They have been playing some tremendous basketball as of late. However, an early departure from the postseason could change things.
Kristaps Porzingis trade rumors and recent drama
Reports surfaced ahead of the March 25 NBA trade deadline that the Mavericks were open to trading Porzingis. While Cuban pushed back against that notion, there’s every reason to believe it’s true.
Issues on defense in the low-post as well as Porzingis’ injury-plagued status could be holding Dallas back from being a legitimate NBA title contender. In turn, the team could be wasting the otherworldly talent of Luka Doncic.
In the midst of his fifth NBA season, Porzingis is averaging 20.2 points and 9.1 rebounds on 47% shooting from the field. If the Mavs are able to net another star and a better fit with Doncic, we would not be surprised if Kristaps Porzingis were moved during the summer. Cuban’s comments add another layer to this.