When the Dallas Mavericks made a trade with the New York Knicks in 2019 to acquire Kristaps Porzingis, they felt like they were getting a major piece to their puzzle. While Porzingis did not play at all that season as he recovered from an ACL injury, the Mavs were eager to pair him with Luka Doncic who was a rookie at the time. The 2019-20 season was the first time the two would play together. They would play together for one more season before the Mavs decided to move Porzingis to the Washington Wizards. Reflecting back on those seasons, Porzingis believes that the two just didn't fit together via Mark Medina of NBA.com.
“It wasn’t the right fit. That’s it. We had some good moments. That first year before the bubble, I started playing really well. Then in the bubble, we started playing really well together. Then I was hurt the second year and I wasn’t as effective,” Porzingis said. “I could’ve played better in Dallas. But with my style of play, long-term I don’t think it would’ve worked out, anyway. It didn’t work out the way we wanted it to, but Luka is a superstar. He’s an incredible player. He’s got to keep going and keep doing his thing.”
The Mavs made the playoffs both seasons that Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic played together, but were eliminated by the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round both years. In the bubble, the Mavs pushed the Clippers to six games but lost Porzingis for the series after Game 4 with an injury. The following season, they lost to the Clippers in seven games with Porzingis having a poor series.
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