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Report: Kristaps Porzingis will probably not play for Mavericks this season due to ACL rehab

It looks like Dallas Mavericks fans are going to have to wait a while before they can finally see newly acquired star Kristaps Porzingis in a Mavs uniform.

The 23-year-old big man will probably not see the floor for the Mavericks this season due to his continued recovery from a torn ACL suffered last season, team owner Mark Cuban reportedly told ESPN on Friday.

This news carries extra intrigue given that the Porzingis will be a restricted free agent this summer and has reportedly already told the Mavericks that he will sign a qualifying offer with the team for the 2019-20 season. If that comes to pass, the Mavericks will have just one season with Porzingis on their team before the Latvian hits unrestricted free agency in 2020.

Porzingis has not played a game this season due to an ACL tear he suffered in Feb. 2018. Rehab for the injury has seemed somewhat slow, but this is nothing the Mavericks wouldn’t have known before calling in the trade for the forward.

Kristaps Porzingis reportedly won’t be teaming up with Luka Doncic this season. (Photo by James Devaney/Getty Images)
Kristaps Porzingis reportedly won’t be teaming up with Luka Doncic this season. (Photo by James Devaney/Getty Images)

Porzingis acquired from Knicks in seven-player trade

To acquire Porzingis, the Mavericks paid a significant price, but well below what some were expecting would be needed to pry away the star from the Knicks.

The Mavs’ trade with the Knicks broke down as follows:

Mavericks acquire: Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Trey Burke and Courtney Lee

Knicks acquire: Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, an unprotected 2021 first-round pick and a top 10 protected 2023 first-round pick

Obviously, the Mavericks made the move thinking that Porzingis will be playing for the team beyond 2020, creating a formidable 1-2 punch with star rookie Luka Doncic.

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