Kristaps Porzingis trade rumors “are not accurate,” says Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban vehemently denied the commercial rumors surrounding Kristaps Porzingis early on Tuesday that Dallas was, according to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, sniffing to assess the great man’s commercial value. The Mavericks also contacted the Golden State Warriors to determine their level of interest in a possible deal with Porzingis, according to SNY’s Ian Begley.

Cuban rejected the commercial rumors surrounding Porzingis, telling Tim Cato of The Athletic that they “were not true” and that “we didn’t discuss it with anyone”. The team owner then continued to develop the rumors, which cited an unidentified Western Conference executive who raised concerns about Porzingis’ defense.

“By the way, we are not happy that there is an alleged Western Conference executive attacking one of our players,” Cuban told Brad Townsend of Dallas Morning News. “There is no commercial discussion. I think they just used it as a way to get their word out about KP.”

First, if a team was trying to “quietly” buy a player as the report suggests, it is clear that it would not go out immediately and announce it to the public. Nor would it be entirely surprising if Dallas was starting to consider negotiating with the ex-All-Star. Although Porzingis’ statistics are on par with the average of a season ago (20.5 points, 8.2 rebounds), his 3-point shot recovered (35.2 percent) after struggling hard on his return from meniscal surgery this season. Even so, the problem that always remains with him is his health.

It also doesn’t help that the Mavericks really perform better when Porzingis isn’t on the ground, especially in defense. When he is on the bench, the Mavericks allow 11 points less for possession in defense, while scoring 4.3 points more for possession in attack. Since returning from his meniscus surgery, he has not looked 100 percent and seems unwell for the defense. He struggles to assume proper posture and often moves as if he is stuck in the sand.

Porzingis has had 13 injuries since joining the league in 2015, including an ACL injury that kept him off the pitch for a season and a half, which occurred before he was traded to Dallas. He also suffered a meniscus tear in last year’s postseason that kept him out of the Mavs’ last three games against the Clippers in the first round.

When healthy, he proved to be an offensive power for Dallas. He can take down long-range 3s, and his pick-and-roll game with Doncic was reaching lethal levels at the end of last season. But Porzingis has only played 60 or more games in his career twice, and if Dallas can’t count on him to stay healthy, it begs the question of how useful he can really be for a Mavericks team that is trying to build a contender championship. around Doncic.

If the Mavericks are really starting to eavesdrop on the possibility of trading Porzingis, what can they realistically achieve for him? He is in the second year of a five-year contract with $ 158 million. Add that to your long history of injuries, and that combination will scare most teams. Dallas invested a lot in Porzingis to dispatch him soon. These reports do not necessarily mean that trade is imminent – and according to Cuban it is not even being discussed. Still, this is something worth monitoring, even after the negotiation deadline, as the Mavericks think about what their long-term future with Porzingis will look like.