Kristaps no longer a Mav
Ex-Knick dealt to D.C., Wiz gets Dinwiddie
Kristaps Porzingis never could escape the shadow of injuries in Dallas after the blockbuster trade that brought the 7-foot-3 Latvian from the Knicks.
The Mavericks are moving on without the “Unicorn.”
Dallas is sending Porzingis to the Washington Wizards for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans, a person with knowledge of the trade said Thursday.
The deal was reached not long before the NBA trading deadline and ends the plan to pair Porzingis with fellow European and young star point guard Luka Doncic.
Porzingis has missed the past five games with a right knee injury and has been sidelined for 21 of 55 games this season because of various injuries and a positive COVID-19 test.
Doncic and Porzingis never established the bond the club hoped would develop when Dallas acquired Porzingis from the Knicks in a seven-player deal with the Knicks before the deadline in 2019.
Porzingis averaged 20 points and 8.8 rebounds in 134 games with Dallas. The seventh-year player has averaged 18.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks for his career.
Dinwiddie, the former Net, started all 44 games he played for the Wizards this season, averaging 12.6 points and 5.8 assists. Although his career 3-point shooting percentage is just 32%, Dinwiddie gives Dallas another scoring option in the backcourt with Tim Hardaway Jr. likely sidelined until the playoffs with a broken foot.
Dinwiddie is in the first year of a $54 million, three-year deal. Bertans has two fully guaranteed years remaining on an $80 million, five-year contract.
CELTICS DEAL DOZIER, BOL
The Boston Celtics announced they’ve traded guard PJ Dozier and forward Bol Bol, along with a future second-round pick and cash to the Orlando Magic on Thursday in exchange for a protected 2023 second-round pick.
Dozier and Bol came to Boston in January from Denver as part of a three-team trade that also involved San Antonio. Neither has seen action for the Celtics. Dozier is out for the season following surgery for a torn ligament in his left knee. Bol is recovering from right foot surgery.
Boston entered the day about $3 million over the salary cap as the league’s trade deadline loomed. It was in danger of being hit with the “repeater tax” for being over the cap threshold in three out of four seasons. The 2021-22 salaries of Dozier ($1.9 million) and Bol ($2.1 million) will keep Boston from incurring that luxury tax penalty.
The Celtics (31-25) have won a season-high six straight games and are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
8 GOING INTO FOOTBALL HALL
The long wait to be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame is finally over for several deserving candidates.
In a year with no sure-fire first-ballot candidates, the panel of voters opted to choose five players who have waited years — or even decades — for the honor with offensive lineman Tony Boselli, linebacker Sam Mills, defensive back LeRoy Butler, and defensive linemen Bryant Young and Richard Seymour all getting the nod in results announced Thursday night.
The five had all come up short as finalists in previous years and been out of the game for between the last nine and 24 seasons but that didn’t diminish their remarkable accomplishments that will send them to Canton for induction this summer.
Three others who also have endured long waits were voted in by the panel with former Raiders speedster Cliff Branch getting in as the senior candidate, Super Bowl winner Dick Vermeil in the coach category and longtime head of officiating Art McNally asa contributor.
FIVE IN THIRD LIFT DEVILS
Nico Hischier and Yegor Sharangovich triggered a five-goal blitz in the third period and Jon Gillies made 27 saves as the Devils rallied for a 7-4 victory over the Blues in St. Louis.
New Jersey, playing its third game in four nights, won back-to-back road games for the first time this season after beating Montreal on Tuesday.
Hischier scored twice, including an empty-net goal with nine seconds left.
Jimmy Vesey, Jesper Boqvist, P.K. Subban and Michael McLeod also scored for the Devils, who jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period.