Kristaps Porzingis Opens Up on Luka Doncic After Mavericks Fiasco

Back in 2019, it certainly appeared as though the Mavericks had thrust themselves onto a path that would eventually lead to rookie star Luka Doncic landing in the NBA Finals with Latvian big man Kristaps Porzingis. At the time, the Mavericks traded for Porzingis as he was rehabbing an ACL injury, but Dallas was widely praised for the deal.

As outgoing Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki said, "If you have a chance to add a franchise-caliber player like Porzingis you've just gotta go for it. He's mobile enough to play the 4. He can be a spread 5. He can move, block shots, post."

It appeared that Doncic and Porzingis could be a dynamic inside-out pairing for a long time to come.

Instead, Porzingis could not stay healthy, Covid-19 hit and the Mavericks never gained traction with a Doncic-Porzingis core. The team was ousted twice in the first round of the playoffs, then dumped Porzingis in a 2022 trade that helped propel Doncic and the Mavs to the Western Conference finals.

The pair did reach the Finals, only they did not do it together--Porzingis was with the Celtics in 2024 when they beat Doncic and the Mavericks.

Kristaps Porzingis: Luka Doncic Relationship Is 'Normal'

Now, Porzingis says that though he and Doncic did not accomplish much on the floor together and were never especially tight off the floor, his relationship with Doncic is ... normal.

Here's what Porzingis said, translated, per the Latvian site Sporta Centrs: “I have a normal relationship with Luka Doncic. Of course, the time in Dallas didn’t work out. It’s a phase that’s over. After that, we’ve met a lot – the Celtics and the Mavericks met in the Finals a year ago. In the European context, it seems like we haven’t played since 2017.”

Both players have had a year of upheaval in the NBA. Porzingis was dealt to Atlanta in a salary dump by the Celtics this summer, while Doncic, of course, was traded to the Lakers in February.