Kristaps Porzingis Opens Up On Issues With Luka Doncic

Kristaps Porzingis was traded from the New York Knicks to the Dallas Mavericks in 2019. The trade would pair a young Luka Doncic with a 7'3 player who has the ability to spread the floor. With a ball-dominant player like Doncic, it looked like the Mavericks would be a dynamic duo for years to come. However, Porzingis points out that the issues between the two are what probably hindered their success.

Porzingis joined Adrian Wojnarowski on the Woj Pod to speak about the failed relationship between him and Doncic. One thing that he pointed out was the fact that they lacked proper communication when there were disagreements. "There were situations where we should have just talked to each other," Porzingis mentions. He also added that "looking back, of course, we made some mistakes along the way." One thing he also noted was that, "at the end sometimes, it doesn't work out the way you expect."

Full audio of Washington Wizards star Kristaps Porzingis on The Woj Pod: https://t.co/zXxMuv33Nw pic.twitter.com/4H9dxU3ir3
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 18, 2022

In the two-and-a-half seasons Porzingis played with Dallas, he averaged 20 points, 9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. The Mavericks would make the playoffs both seasons but would lose in the first round each time. Dallas would eventually trade the one-time All-Star and a second-round pick to the Washington Wizards for Spencer Dinwiddie and David Bertans.

The trade would benefit both teams as they were able to fill holes in their offense. For the Mavericks they were able to get to the Western Conference Finals the same season Porzingis was traded. On the other hand, the Latvian player helped increase the Wizards' win column by one game while averaging two more points per game from the previous season. The former fourth-pick was only able to play 17 games for the team.

The Wizards kick off the season on October 19 against the Indiana Pacers. The newly formed duo of Porzingis and Bradley Beal will have an opportunity to lead the team to the playoffs in a full season together. Hopefully, the communication this time around will prove successful.

Photo Credit Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports