Before the Washington Wizards acquired Kristaps Porzingis in a trade last week, the Toronto Raptors were engaged in talks with the Dallas Mavericks for the 7-foot-3 forward. However, the Raptors eventually backed out of talks.
The Raptors lost interest in the deal after disliking the outlook of Porzingis’ long-term health, according to NBA insider Marc Stein. That led the Mavericks to focus on the Wizards for the trade.Ā
Toronto, league sources say, stepped away because of concerns about Porzingisā long-term health. The Wizards, sources say, went ahead with the trade on their end ā to add to the bluntness ā because they were as eager to ship out Spencer Dinwiddie and DÄvis BertÄns as the Mavericks were to move on from the idea that Porzingis could be the ideal co-star for Luka Doncic.
The Wizards were the perfect candidates for the Mavs to dump Porzingis onto. Washington was eager to dump two bad contracts of their own in Spencer Dinwiddie and fellow Latvian Davis Bertans.Ā
At the age of 26, Porzingis still has untapped potential. Itās worth noting his potential is untapped because of a lack of good health. He has missed countless games over the past four seasons following a torn ACL while with the New York Knicks.
Portzingis hasn’t played over 57 games since the injury during the 2017-18 season. He missed 22 games this season with Dallas prior to the trade to Washington. Monday was his first eligible with the Wizards. But he’s sidelined with a knee injury. It’s an injury that’s forced him to miss his final six games with the Mavericks.Ā
The Raptors were looking for interior defense. But, they apparently didn’t want to take a risk on Porzingis with his checkered health history. It’s a gamble the Wizards are willing to take. Only time will tell who made the better decision between all involved.
