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3 pros, 2 cons for Cleveland Cavaliers trading for Kristaps Porzingis

By Caleb Crowley

Kristaps Porzingis, Washington Wizards and Lamar Stevens, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
Kristaps Porzingis, Washington Wizards and Lamar Stevens, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images /
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Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks. Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images /

Con No. 1 – Injury concerns

By the time Kristaps Porzingis left the Dallas Mavericks, he had oft found himself in street clothes watching from the sidelines. The former number 4 pick was traded by the New York Knicks to play alongside Luka Doncic after missing the entirety of the 2018-2019 NBA season due to a torn ACL.

In his two full seasons with the Mavericks, Kristaps played a total of exactly 100 games. In the 2021-2022 season, he played 51 games split between the Mavs and Wizards.

Clearly, Porzingis’ health will always be a question mark, and availability many times is the best ability. The league has seen a number of super teams fall short in no small part thanks to injury. Adding Porzingis to Cleveland’s roster could be an opportunity for Porzingis to change his trajectory, though, as he is steadily improving his health and would not be asked to carry a heavy offensive load. Last season, Porzingis played 65 games, hitting 60 or more games since his sophomore campaign.

Players of Porzingis’ size do not heal as rapidly as smaller guards. Perhaps his torn ACL nagged him for years, and he will be just fine going forward. But, when the Cavs already struggle with depth at the center spot, this kind of move cannot be done without following up to snag another center in free agency.