NBA Rumors: Kristaps Porzingis Not Suiting Up For Mavericks

Kristaps Porzingis is technically with a new team, but the Dallas Maverick is not expected to suit up for his new team, at least for the 2018-19 NBA season. The Latvian beanpole is still recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee, meaning the closest he could return to the court is by the 2019-2020 season.

From there, plenty of questions come to mind. This includes the fate of Porzingis, who will become a restricted free agent at the end of the season. But according to Tim McMahon of ESPN, the current predicament of the 7-foot-3 player will not affect the Mavs' chances of signing him up moving forward.

That, of course, remains to be seen, with Porzingis likely to weigh his options. He found himself in the middle of a seven-player trade between the Mavericks and the New York Knicks after he met with management and questioned the direction they were headed, the Daily Knicks reported.

Prior to getting injured, the 23-year-old forward was averaging 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, NBA.com reported. He also held a good 43.9-percent shooting clip from the field and 39.5-percent on 4.8 three-point attempts.

Being a free agent, there are NBA teams expected to try and pitch to Porzingis. But clubs who intend to do so may have to come up with a hard-to-refuse offer on the table to convince the Latvian to their fold.

Things may have even gotten a bit harder since Porzingis is reportedly eager to put on a Dallas Maverick uniform, the New York Post reported. After the trade was sealed, the former lottery pick of the Knicks appeared to be all-in with the move.

Aside from that, Porzingis posted a slideshow on Instagram featuring photos of him playing against and working out with Mavericks star and new teammate Dirk Nowitzki --someone he cited as an inspiration.

Regardless, these posts are unlikely to stop pundits from making speculations on what lies ahead for Porzingis. But Dallas is more than likely to field in a good offer to make sure that their prized acquisition remains a Maverick, forming a curious mutt-and-jeff tandem with rising star Luka Doncic.