Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis, who was expected to be Luka Doncic’s long-term co-star in Dallas, said there is “no ill will” about his stay with the Mavericks not going as planned.
BOSTON — The center of the Boston Celtics, Kristaps Porzingiswho was expected to be the long-term co-star alongside Luka Doncic in Dallas, he was adamant that there is “no ill will” that his tenure with the Mavericks did not go as planned as he prepares to face his former team in the NBA Finals.
The Mavs made a spectacular trade to acquire Porzingis of the New York Knicks in January 2019, midway through his rookie season. Doncica deal that Dallas will finally pay in full by sending New York the 24th pick in this year’s draft.
Porzingis, who was recovering from a torn ACL when he was traded and was plagued by injuries during his time in Dallas, averaged 20.0 points and 8.8 rebounds in 134 games for the Mavs. Dallas decided that the duo was not a good long-term option and traded Porzingis to the Washington Wizards at the 2022 deadline.
Kristaps Porzingis, during a Celtics practice prior to Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Photo: Getty
“It wasn’t all bad,” Porzingis said of his time in Dallas, which included a pair of first-round playoff exits. “We had some good moments. We had some decent moments, but overall it didn’t work out for both sides. It wasn’t perfect. But I would say everything, teammates, locker room… I know at the time there were some rumors that there was something going on. the locker room. It was never like that. It was all just noise in the end.
“It just wasn’t perfect for us to play together, and it didn’t work out. And that’s it. I don’t think there was any ill will on his part. There certainly isn’t any ill will on my part. I don’t think there should be any. “It didn’t work out, but it didn’t work out. “I have nothing but love for Dallas, my teammates and everyone there.”
Porzingisa Knicks All-Star before his injury, acknowledged during his time in Dallas that he initially found it difficult to accept playing a supporting role as Doncic quickly rose to stardom.
“I don’t know why it didn’t work,” he said. Doncicwho has downplayed the discussion about friction in his relationship with Porzingis over the years. “We were both young. We tried to make it work, but it just didn’t work. So we kept going.”
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Porzingis He hoped the hiring of Jason Kidd as head coach ahead of the 2021-22 season would provide him with a fresh start in Dallas. However, he suffered injuries again that season before being sent to Washington along with a second-round pick for guard Spencer Dinwiddie and forward Davis Bertans, a pair of players whose contracts the Wizards wanted to get rid of. Mavs general manager Nico Harrison cited “depth and flexibility” as his reasoning for the trade at the time.
“As you know, in the basketball business, there are trades that take place,” Kidd said. “They judge us if it works or not. That’s just part of the business. In the short period I had him, I really enjoyed KP. Great, great on the court, great off the court. He did everything we asked of him.
“When you talk about health, maybe he got injured. Like any coach or teammate, you want everyone to be there at 100 percent at all times. I think KP did very well for us. But in the basketball business , there was a turn. Then, from there, things changed.”
Porzingis said he will return for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday after missing the Celtics’ last 10 games due to a calf strain. He will be a key contributor for a defense trying to limit Doncic, who averaged 32.4 points and 8.2 assists per game against the Minnesota Timberwolves’ top-ranked defense to win Western Conference Finals MVP.
“He’s one of the best players in the league, in the world,” Porzingis said. “It’s going to be a tough challenge for us to try and stop him. Just following his career, when he came into the league, he already had a big impact. Then I had the opportunity to play with him for a couple of years and get to know him and know the type of person he is. “, the type of player he is, his mentality… he is a special player. We have a great challenge ahead of us competing against someone like that.”
2024-06-05 21:04:00
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