What the Kristaps Porzingis trade means for the Dallas Mavericks

The fresh start Dennis Smith Jr needed has finally come, but more importantly, it happened in the right situation.

With Hardaway and Porzingis out, this team is very young. Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson, and Alonzo Trier are all rookies, Noah Vonleh and Mario Hezonja are only 23, and they also have the guy they drafted BEFORE Dennis Smith in 2018. (Seems the very Knick thing to do to trade for the player they should’ve originally drafted)

This trade was important to the Knicks because they blew up their roster. By dumping players that weren’t producing to their ludicrous contracts, it created tons of cap space with the hopes of chasing several max free agents this summer.

On the second try, the Knicks landed with the point guard they should’ve grabbed in 2018, but now they had to do it at the expense of their superstar big man. We know what Dennis can do. He’s an athletic ball handler who’s improved significantly as a 3 point shooter and as a defender. He doesn’t convert particularly well from the free throw line but that isn’t too much of an issue as he rarely gets there to begin with.

With the arrival of Smith, Mudiay can return to the bench while pushing Frank Ntilikina down the depth chart. (Who would’ve guessed Smith was better than Frank?) With Smith, the Knicks also have stability at point guard they can use to their advantage when targeting certain free agents. KD would love the opportunity to play with an improving guard even if the player he initially envisioned playing with was someone he nicknamed.

DeAndre Jordan could be a wild card for the Knicks. Jordan can provide solid rim protection for the Knicks when Mitchell Robinson isn’t on the floor. However, it seems Jordan’s biggest asset is his connections. It’s probably no secret that DeAndre Jordan and Kevin Durant have a strong friendship. If Jordan can convince KD to sign with the Knicks, assuming he earns a contract extension, the Knicks would gladly hand Durant a max contract for his services.

However, it seems the most likely option would be for Jordan and the Knicks to reach a buyout. Jordan is 30 years old and his services would be extremely useful for a playoff team looking for a rebounder/rim protector. While Jordan continues to average a double-double, his defensive aggressiveness was seriously hurting the Mavs at the rim.

It’s pretty fair to assume that most Mavs fans wanted to trade Matthews away. He was expensive and his production was very pedestrian. His three point shooting was surprisingly efficient at 38% but he shot from behind the arc 56% of the time according to Basketball Reference. His lack of scoring variance, ability to do anything else on offense, and his declining defensive game made him expendable.

Matthews could play as an experienced veteran for the Knicks but much like DeAndre Jordan, a buyout is probably in his best interest. Instead of playing with a young team, playing with a playoff team would serve him well this late in his career. His game is certainly useful for many teams looking for decent perimeter defenders, however, does it justify paying him like Tim Hardaway?

A team who takes a chance on Matthews will definitely get a good return on investment if they sign him at the right place while also taking into account the type of role he would play. Matthews plays a niche role, even if it is a role that has been trending in popularity.

This trade has significantly changed the fortunes of both teams. But what would ultimately define this trade as a success for both franchises.