Thursday’s NBA trade deadline was as wild a deadline as we’ve seen in years, as stars were on the move, headlined by the blockbuster James Harden-Ben Simmons deal, but they weren’t alone in big names changing rosters.
The Washington Wizards, who now will be without Bradley Beal for the rest of the season after wrist surgery, were willing to part with just about anyone other than Beal or Kyle Kuzma at the deadline, per reports, and jumped in the ring in a big way with under an hour to go. After sending Montrezl Harrell to Charlotte, the Wizards moved Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans to Dallas in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis and a second round pick, as the Mavericks decided to breakup the Doncic-Porzingis pairing that has had some tension in the past.
The Washington Wizards are trading Spencer Dinwiddie to the Dallas Mavericks, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 10, 2022
The Mavericks are trading Kristaps Porzingis to Washington, league sources say.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 10, 2022
Source: Mavs are trading Kristaps Porzingis to the Wizards for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 10, 2022
The Wizards will send Davis Bertans in deal too, source tells ESPN. Mavericks send a second-round pick to Wizards. https://t.co/RJdybUd0Lw
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 10, 2022
The Mavs are clearly banking on Dinwiddie refinding his form next to Doncic and hoping Bertans can give them the floor spacing juice they crave. Washington, meanwhile, takes on Porzingis in hopes that a change of scenery will also be good for him, and at least for this season, he’ll get a chance to be the lead option again with Beal on the sidelines.
It’s a bit of a surprise that the Mavs jump in with both feet like this in the trade waters, as they were solidly in fifth spot in the West, but they must think getting more offensive firepower is the answer around Doncic to make them a viable threat to make a deep postseason run.