Mavericks Reportedly Plan to Offer Kristaps Porzingis Full Max Contract
By Parker White
The Dallas Mavericks acquired Kristaps Porzingis from the Knicks during the regular season, knowing well that he was set to become a free agent at the conclusion of the campaign.
The Mavs are reportedly going to meet with Porzingis at the start of free agency next week, and according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the plan is to offer him a full five-year max contract worth $158 million.
Restricted free agent Kristaps Porzingis and the Dallas Mavericks will meet when free agency opens on June 30 and the franchise plans to offer Porzingis a full five-year, $158 million maximum contract, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 25, 2019
Porzingis sat out the entire 2018-19 season as he recovered from a torn ACL the previous season. Rather than return to the court and risk re-injury, after joining the rebuilding Mavs, the Latvian star remained on the shelf.
Dallas sees Porzingis as a second star to pair with Luka Doncic, and because he's a restricted free agent, signing him to a max deal was part of the plan when they acquired him from New York.
Mavericks Plan On Offering Five-Year, $158M Max To Kristaps Porzingis https://t.co/5Gd5scYUIa
— RealGM (@RealGM) June 25, 2019
The last time Porzingis played was during the 2017-2018 season, and through 48 games he averaged 22.7 points and 6.6 rebounds on 43.9 percent shooting.
It'll be interesting to see how he fares with the Mavericks next season, should they extend the offer which is anticipated, as it'll have been nearly two years since the last time he played in an NBA game. If he's quick to shake off the rust, he could flourish in his new city.