During an NBA trade deadline that will go down in history, the Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks attempted to steal the show late in the day. The main talking point will always be James Harden forcing his way from the Brooklyn Nets to the Philadelphia 76ers, but with time ticking by, Kristaps Porzingis was sent to the nation’s capital from Texas.
Huh?
The Wizards and Mavericks aren’t exactly rebuilding, and this move did little to open up a different path for either franchise
As reported by Adrian Wojnarowski, the Mavericks received Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans in exchange for Porzingis and a protected second-round pick. The deal brought a sudden end to his partnership with superstar Luka Doncic. It may yet come out that the two were no longer seeing eye to eye, but on the surface, this deal is a real head-scratcher.
It does give Porzingis a chance to have another fresh start with a franchise that has admittedly lower expectations. After being cut loose by the New York Knicks and failing to ever have a truly dominant spell as a Maverick (to put it kindly), the Wizards fanbase is one that will look more favorably at anything he can bring. Just as they did with Russell Westbrook last season.
Let’s take a look at the grades for both teams after executing the strangest deal of the trade deadline. One that nobody saw coming, if the chatter on social media was anything to go by.
We’ll also examine what, if anything, it means for both franchises not only this season but in the coming years as well.