Kristaps Porzingis can opt out of five-year, $158M deal with Mavs a year early
Player options are quite popular in the NBA right now. Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard made sure they had an option in their latest deals, and now Kristaps Porzingis has done the same.
The 23-year-old Porzingis has a player option for the final season of his five-year, $158 million contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Sources: Dallas Mavericks star Kristaps Porzingis‘ five-year, $158M maximum contract gives him a player option in the final season in 2023.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 12, 2019
Despite Porzingis sitting out all last season, the Dallas Mavericks still offered him a max contract. Porzingis agreed to that deal in June, but the initial reports did not include the player option. Porzingis missed all last year while recovering from an ACL injury.
Prior to the injury, Porzingis had been a standout player with the New York Knicks. He averaged 22.7 points and 6.6 rebounds in 48 games during the 2017-18 season.
If Porzingis opts out in 2023, he would potentially be leaving a big payday on the table. He’s slated to make $36 million that season. He would, however, be just 28, and could still be in line to receive another mega contract if he shakes off the injury and continues to produce at a high level.
———
Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
More from Yahoo Sports: