Report: Porzingis feels like an afterthought and not Doncic's co-star

Kristaps Porzingis doesn't like his role with the Dallas Mavericks.

The Latvian has grown frustrated and feels like an afterthought rather than a co-star playing alongside Luka Doncic, sources told ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

Porzingis, who signed a five-year, $158-million contract extension with Dallas shortly after arriving in a trade from the New York Knicks in February 2019, is coming off an underwhelming playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers.

He averaged 13.1 points on 29.6% shooting from long range along with 5.4 rebounds over seven games. Porzingis often struggled defensively too, largely because of decreased mobility since tearing his ACL, and more recently, his meniscus.

Alongside a ball-dominant player in Doncic - who led the league in usage rate this season at 36% - Porzingis is often tasked with spotting up around the perimeter instead of initiating his own offense. The 7-foot-2 big man told MacMahon his game "has to evolve" if he's to have a more prominent role in Dallas' offense going forward.

Doncic and Porzingis - who may not be close off the court, according to Mavericks owner Mark Cuban - produced mixed results when sharing the floor during the regular season. While the Mavericks' offense produced an elite 121.2 points per 100 possessions when using lineups featuring Doncic and Porzingis, Dallas also cratered defensively with that pairing on the floor, allowing opponents to score 120 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning The Glass.

The Mavericks, who finished as the West's No. 5 seed at 42-30, are coming off a second consecutive first-round exit at the hands of the Clippers. Porzingis is owed $101.5 million over the next three seasons, assuming he exercises his $36-million player option for the 2023-24 campaign.