Kristaps Porzingis Trade Rumors: Teams 'Feeling Out' Mavs for Potential Deal

Teams around the NBA are "feeling out" the Dallas Mavericks about a Kristaps Porzingis trade ahead of Thursday's deadline, according to Dallas Basketball's Mike Fisher.

During an appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan on March 16, Mavericks team governor Mark Cuban addressed the rumors around Porzingis and said a trade is "definitely not going to happen."

Porzingis is averaging 19.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks through 26 games in 2020-21. He's also shooting 48.0 percent overall and 36.9 percent from three-point territory.

However, big questions remain over whether the Mavericks can be a title contender while positioning Porzingis as the second star to Luka Doncic. Dallas sits eighth in the Western Conference at 22-19.

Offensively, Porzingis is a great fit for Doncic because he can space floor and form a deadly pick-and-roll combo with the All-NBA playmaker. Their collective struggles on defense, however, are one reason the Mavs rank 23rd in defensive rating (112.6), per NBA.com.

While reporting in February that Dallas was exploring Porzingis' trade market, B/R's Jake Fischer spoke to a Western Conference executive who was withering in his criticism of the 25-year-old.

"It looks like it's impossible for him to get in a stance. He looks like a scarecrow out there," the executive said. "You don't expect him to necessarily be great from the jump, but I've watched Porzingis a couple of times this year, and I'm not sure the guy can guard anybody."

The trouble with trading Porzingis now is that he's signed for $65.5 million over the next two seasons and has a $36 million player option for 2023-24. Combine that with the wider perception of his game, and the Mavs would probably have to move him at a loss in terms of the value coming back.

If the team's front office has reservations about the 7'3" Latvian, then waiting until the offseason to trade him arguably makes more sense since there would be more time to weigh any offers.