Tony Ressler says he and the Atlanta Hawks' front office would make the same decision they did in June of 2018 when they traded down from No. 3 and chose Trae Young and a future first round pick that became Cam Reddish from the Dallas Mavericks over Luka Doncic.

Both Young and Doncic had promising rookie seasons.

“I have to be honest, but I didn’t think Luka would be this good,” Ressler said prior to Saturday’s game. “I didn’t think Trae was going to be this good. They are both better than I expected. I think they’re both really special players and have a shot to be for a really long time if they stay focused. I think this trade is going to have a nice, long history of discussion. I wouldn’t completely, again, declare success or whether we won it or lost it today because I do think both teams have someone they can really help build around for years and years to come.”

The Hawks feel they have the makings of a long-term core now with Young as the centerpiece, John Collins, Kevin Huerter, De’Andre Hunter, Reddish and Bruno Fernando.

Bradley Beal said there was no hard feelings between him and Luka Doncic following their chippy battle that lead to Beal's ejection in the fourth quarter.

The Mavs beat the Wizards 108-100, with Beal finishing with 19 points and Doncic scoring 34. 

"It was just hoops. You could see when I got kicked out, he came up and was the first one to dap me, so he understood what it was. We weren't fighting. It was just basketball, trying to frustrate him. He was kicking our butts, so you've got to do something," said Beal following the game.

Doncic said that there was mutual respect between the two players.

"That was great. That's what basketball is about. You don't have no friends on the court. I respect him for doing that. Everybody's saying he's only a fancy player. No, he showed he's great on defense, too. He showed that there, so I respect it for him," added Doncic.

The New York Knicks believed the San Antonio Spurs tampered with Kristaps Porzingis when he was still on their team.

The Knicks traded Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks shortly before the 2019 trade deadline.

The Knicks felt justified in signing Marcus Morris after he committed to a deal with the Spurs due to that tampering belief concerning Porzingis. Morris and Rich Paul parted ways after the episode and the Spurs were upset with the Knicks.

Morris agreed to a two-year, $20 million deal with the Spurs and then signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the Knicks.

Kristaps Porzingis is playing in his first games since tearing the ACL in his left knee early in 2018. Porzingis was held out by the Dallas Mavericks at the end of last season.

“I feel great,” Porzingis said. “The knee, I don’t even think about it. It’s not an issue at all. My legs feel great.”

Porzingis is hoping his shooting stroke returns as he regains his stamina.

“My teammates are trusting me and passing me the ball,” Porzingis said. “Whenever I’m open, I’m shooting the ball, and the shots will start to fall. I have no doubts. I’m impatient with those kinds of things.

“I want to make every shot I take and I believe I can make every shot I take. Now, put in the work and in practice make shots, focus, high quality everything and sooner or later I’ll start making those wide open looks and then we will be playing even better.”

The Dallas Mavericks have requested waivers on guard Dakota Mathias and forward Aric Holman.

Mathias (6-4, 200) played in three of Dallas’ first four preseason games in 2019, averaging 3.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in 8.7 minutes per game.

Holman (6-9, 225) also saw action in three of the team’s first four exhibition games this year, averaging 2.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in 3.3 minutes per contest.

The Dallas Mavericks announced that they are waiving Yudai Baba.

Baba averaged 2.3 points and 1 steal in three preseason games with the Mavs.

Kristaps Porzingis said he's feeling as healthy as he's ever felt entering training camp with the Dallas Mavericks.

"I feel great physically. I feel 100%. I feel probably better than I ever have in my life," Porzingis told Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

In terms of load management for Porzingis, Rick Carlisle added that he's going to be especially cautious on back-to-back nights.

"If I had a gun to my head, I would say that there's a good chance that we will be very careful on back-to-backs, particularly to start the year...he may be insisting on playing, but I do believe in his case and in the case of any player like that, the Mavericks or whatever team is going to err on the side of caution," said the Mavs coach.

Porzingis added that he and Luka Doncic could "be a nightmare for the teams going forward."