Kristaps Porzingis Could be a Franchise Player – Nowitzki

Kristaps Porzingis cold be a franchise player for the Dallas Mavericks, that’s according to decorated German veteran Dirk Nowitzki.

Kristaps Porzingis joined the Mavericks from the New York Knicks in a seven player trade between the two teams. The deal went down quickly on Thursday afternoon, and Nowitzki is excited by the idea of Kristaps Porzingis.

Nowitzki thinks that he will fit in to the young Mavericks roster, adding that it could be fun to watch for a ‘long, long time.’

Porzingis will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. However, Dallas is confident that they can persuade him to commit his future to the team.

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“We wouldn’t have made the deal if we thought he was going to walk obviously,” Nowitzki said.

“… Hopefully he’s going to like what he sees and he’s going to get healthy and play well for us. We’ll go from there.”

Nineteen year old rookie Luka Doncic is equally enthused by Porzingis’ arrival, as is Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle.

Rick Carlisle told radio that he envisions Doncic and Porzingis emulating the Nowitzki-Steve Nash partnership of old. As far as Doncic is concerned, he’ll now be playing with one of the best in the NBA.

“He’s such an amazing player, so this could be a good thing,” Doncic said.

“He’s big, he can shoot, he can rebound, he can do a lot of things. I think he can be one of the best players in this league.”

Dirk Nowitzki, a 40 year old veteran, says that Porzingis is ‘a perfect fit for the new NBA.’

Read: Knicks Send Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas Mavericks in Blockbuster Trade

“If you have a chance to add a franchise-caliber player like Porzingis you’ve just gotta go for it,” Nowitzki said.

“… He’s mobile enough to play the 4. He can be a spread 5. He can move, block shots, post. Before he got hurt he played a great all-around game. He’s got the work ethic to be great. He’s a good dude.