A bombshell report out of New York indicates that the Knicks might have to start looking into life without Kristaps Porzingis. The talented young big man, who the team selected fourth overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, reportedly left the organization with the impression that he’d like to get traded after the two sides met on Thursday.
Porzingis reportedly had concerns about the direction of the franchise, something that led to a meeting between the two sides as Porzingis sits out following an ACL tear he suffered last year. While the belief was that Porzingis would like to play for a winner in New York, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweeted that the Knicks feel like the native of Latvia would like to play elsewhere, something that will lead to them talking with teams around the league prior to the Feb. 7 trade deadline.
Kristaps Porzingis left the Knicks with the impression that he prefers to be traded, league sources tell @ramonashelburne and me. Knicks are expected to commence discussions on moving him ahead of next Thursday's deadline.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 31, 2019
While all the chatter is rightfully on the latest trade rumblings surrounding Anthony Davis right now, Porzingis being on the market would be gigantic news for teams around the league. Despite his knee injury, he’s still only 23 and is has room to improve as a player. Plus, with Porzingis being a restricted free agent this summer, teams that would want to trade for him could keep him a round for several years for what would end up being a relative bargain provided he’s healthy.
It’s a fascinating development, and it’s going to be interesting to see the seriousness with which the Knicks pursue moving him. No matter what, while Davis is the biggest name on the market, it’s had to imagine a better consolation prize for a team that strikes out on acquiring his services than Porzingis.
