The 7-foot-3 Porzingis was the No. 4 pick in the 2015 draft and once was expected to be the Knicks' franchise player for years. But they declined to give him a contract extension last summer, and now by trading him and Hardaway seem instead to be gearing up to pursue players in free agency.<doc-sep>Knicks fans never get what they want, and for almost all of them Thursday, the end of the Kristaps Porzingis era was another low blow from the team they have sullenly supported through perpetual malaise. The Unicorn’s trade to the Dallas Mavericks shook the NBA, and Knicks fans got all in their feelings when the news broke. That shouldn’t have come as a surprise, considering how much of a fan favorite Porzingis had become—at 7’3”, with surprising athleticism and a personality to match his cartoonish frame, it didn’t take the Latvian long to endear himself to New York’s passionate fan base. He was an unknown when he was selected fourth overall in 2015 and booed on draft night in Brooklyn, but quickly blossomed into an All-Star who was destined to be the next Knicks superstar. More than anything, he represented hope—basically the only thing Knicks fans have been able to hang their hats on for the last 20 years. Porzingis was destined to be the Knicks’ savior—he would attract top-tier talent to play alongside him and eventually do what Carmelo Anthony and Patrick Ewing were never able to. He showed that the organization, despite all its missteps over the years, could actually get it right with a player and develop him. That lasted less than four seasons, and Knicks fans feel betrayed. More accurately, they’re pissed, ready to burn down Madison Square Garden. To nearly all of them, it feels incredibly shortsighted that they shipped off their best, albeit injured, player for so much uncertainty. The current version of the Knicks is supposed to be rebuilding through the draft and around everyone’s favorite player, KP, as he rehabs from a torn ACL. Another high lottery pick is on the way in June, thanks to another horrific season. And while Knicks fans probably experienced PTSD upon hearing the trade—taking them back to the days of Scott Layden, Isiah Thomas, and Phil Jackson sabotaging long-term success with atrocious short-term transactions—I’m here to tell you trading Porzingis wasn’t a bad move. Maybe it wasn’t the most prudent thing right now, and I definitely understand why Knicks fans killed them for it, but here’s why I’m not piling on. Internally, it’s crazy how quickly KP went from the favorite to the most hated. It’s going to be even crazier how quickly Knicks fans forget about him if that $71 million is put to good use. While the real winner of the deal won’t be known for three, four, maybe even five years, I’d contend that the Knicks have paved a quicker path to relevance and winning thanks to the mountain of cap space they cleared in Thursday’s trade. By throwing in Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee, and Trey Burke in the deal with Dallas, GM Scott Perry managed to carve out $71 million in cap space this off-season so the Knicks can make serious, serious offers to not one but two of the most attractive free agents come July. And if you didn’t already know, this summer’s crop of free agents is loaded. The options are stupefying, with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, DeMarcus Cousins, Jimmy Butler, Klay Thompson, and Kemba Walker (plus a few more All-Star-caliber players) all potentially available. Maybe the Knicks know something the rest of the league doesn’t and have some kind of under-the-table deal worked out to bring in a Kyrie and/or a KD (insert kramer-mind-blown.gif) and that’s why KP was traded in what felt like a matter of minutes. How could you turn down a deal to ship out a disgruntled player who requested a trade and two terrible contracts (Hardaway and Lee) that netted them the chance to pursue much, much better players? Maybe they can attract a Butler and Cousins, which would be a massive upgrade over what they had 24 hours ago. Even if the Knicks signed only one of the guys mentioned above, I’d make the case they’re going to be the winners of this trade. Because at that point, with June’s high lottery draft pick, impressive rookie Kevin Knox, and a TBD free agent (not to mention extra future first-round picks acquired from Dallas in Thursday’s trade), I’d argue the Knicks, post-KP, are much closer to being a legit team in the East with that core than one made up of a rehabbing Porzingis, Knox, Hardaway, and June’s pick. A healthy Porzingis was maybe the eighth-best free agent available (at best) this summer. Post-injury? Maybe he’s top 15. Plus, let’s not forget his history of other injuries (back, ankle, shoulder, etc.). Landing any of the above names would immediately calm crazed Knicks fans. And if they somehow attracted two top-tier free agents? It would be a grand slam for management. KP who?! ? Haters of the trade can easily counter: When was the last time the Knicks got a high-level free agent? When they tried to pull this off in 2010, all they ended up with was Amar’e Stoudemire. So they’d be right. But when a team has as much money as the Knicks to throw around, how can they not attract someone—anyone—to play for them? Cousins is looking to recoup money after taking a one-year deal with the Warriors. I know he’s not sexy, but don’t sleep on Tobias Harris of the Clippers. Hell, get Nikola Vucevic from the Magic, who is an underrated, skilled seven-footer, and another high-level guard and the roster is instantly upgraded over what it just was. And if you can only get one, save some of the money for later. Image via USA Today Sports/Adam Hunger I can’t fight haters of the trade on how bad it looks—that the Knicks were foolish not to shop Porzingis around way longer than it seems they did. It felt like we went from a random Woj bomb about rumors of Porzingis wanting out of New York Thursday afternoon to a confirmation of the trade in minutes. It was crazy and surreal, and completely blindsided so many NBA observers. The rationale: Porzingis wasn’t on board with management’s direction. Plenty of Knicks fans will laugh at that, considering Porzingis played for four head coaches. Shipping KP to the Mavericks seven days before the trade deadline only for Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, and two future first-round picks (one that’s unprotected) felt deflating. For many, it felt treasonous. Doesn’t KP deserve a bigger return? Shouldn’t they have called the Pelicans to see what Anthony Davis’ deal was? Yes, they should have, and maybe we’ll find out they did. And you can make the argument that an injured KP doesn’t deserve a bigger return. Maybe the Knicks could’ve played hardball and gotten more from another squad, but let’s not forget Porzingis isn’t playing again until next October, most likely. At only 23, he should have his best days ahead of him, but I have some reservations that Porzingis is going to magically be the player he was before the ACL tear when there is no track record of a player of his height and athleticism returning to form after such a devastating injury. Also, let’s not gloss over the fact he was a restricted free agent this summer and probably would have been aggressive in getting out of town. Sure, the Knicks could have matched any offer, but they’d be bringing back somebody who didn’t really want to be there in the first place. So, really, why? Either you want to be with somebody or you don’t, and Porzingis let it be known he was done with the Knicks. Wouldn’t it be better to pair Knox and whoever is drafted with somebody who wants to be at the Garden and isn’t going to continue beefing with the organization? And, real talk, we can have a whole other argument about whether Porzingis is even good enough to demand being traded after two and a half years of service. What has he done in the NBA to pull an Anthony Davis? So kill the trade, kill me for not killing it, slander me for being cool with it. The Knicks cleared cap space—a ton of it—Thursday, so how is that a bad thing?<doc-sep>Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press The New York Knicks reportedly explored including Kristaps Porzingis in a trade for New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis, but the Western Conference team was not interested in that move. A source told ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne (h/t colleague Tim MacMahon) that New Orleans was not sure if he would remain with the team long-term, seeing how Porzingis can become a restricted free agent after this season. Instead, the Knicks announced Thursday they traded Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Trey Burke and Courtney Lee to Dallas for DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr. and two future first-round draft picks. This comes after Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reported that Davis' agent, Rich Paul, informed the Pelicans his client does not want to sign long-term with the team and preferred to be traded. Davis can become a free agent following the 2019-20 season and has a player option for 2020-21. Davis was also fined $50,000 for his representative making a public trade demand while he was still under contract. Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported the Knicks were among the teams preparing to make New Orleans an offer in the aftermath of that news, and he pointed to Porzingis, Kevin Knox and the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft as possible trade chips. However, the Pelicans clearly didn't value Porzingis enough to pull the trigger on any deal. MacMahon noted Dallas hopes to re-sign the 23-year-old, who averaged 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks a night while shooting 39.5 percent from three-point range in 48 games in 2017-18 prior to tearing his ACL. Video Play Button Videos you might like The Mavericks hope Luka Doncic and Dirk Nowitzki can help them in that regard. As for the Knicks, they will turn toward free agency and the upcoming draft as they attempt to build a contender after moving on from Porzingis and the contracts of Hardaway and Lee.<doc-sep>
The New York Knicks started the 2019 NBA trade deadline action with a huge deal which sent forward Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks. In return, the team acquired multiple players and two first-round picks while setting themselves up to make a major run at top-tier free agents this offseason. One day after the trade was completed, the Knicks have a date with the Boston Celtics and their lineup will look drastically different. New York’s blockbuster deal was made official by the Knicks PR team and included seven players, with the Knicks sending four to Dallas. *Draft pick details reported by The Athletic’s Michael Scotto. Knicks receive: Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan, Wes Matthews, 2021 first-round pick (protected), 2023 first-round pick (protected) Mavericks receive: Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee, Trey Burke With the trade completed, NBA fans saw the Mavericks roll out a shorthanded roster Thursday night as Hardaway, Lee, Burke, and Porzingis were all unavailable. The Knicks had an extra day to possibly get their new trio of players to town, but it seems they won’t be available Friday against the Celtics. Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan & Wesley Matthews’ Status While the Knicks have battled a few injuries and played shorthanded at times this season, they’ll have by far their most unique rotation of available players for this game. Smith, Jordan and Matthews won’t suit up on Friday night, which isn’t all that surprising considering the timeline of the things. Status note: Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews won’t make Knicks debut Friday. — FantasyLabs NBA (@FantasyLabsNBA) February 1, 2019 Predicting any of the three to suit up would have been tough as the deal wasn’t made official until Thursday evening. There’s a strong chance they’ll be available to debut in the next game, which comes against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. EST. Knicks Roster & Starting Lineup vs. Celtics Position Expected Starter Backup Center Luke Kornet Mitchell Robinson Enes Kanter Power Forward Noah Vonleh Lance Thomas Small Forward Kevin Knox Mario Hezonja Shooting Guard Damyean Dotson Point Guard Allonzo Trier Kadeem Allen The Knicks find themselves in a tough spot against one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams here. After the trade, they’re left with 10 players, a few of which don’t typically see big minutes. If head coach David Fizdale opts to keep Enes Kanter out of the rotation, it’ll leave a lot of playing time for a few others. There is some positive news, as Luke Kornet is likely to return from a five-game absence due to an ankle injury and is listed as probable for the game. He and Mitchell Robinson should see plenty of work, but Allonzo Trier and Kadeem Allen are the two primary ball-handlers available so this could set up big minutes for the duo. Both Trier and Allen could also see minutes at the two as a way to spell Damyean Dotson, or Fizdale could even opt to start one of them at shooting guard potentially. It’ll be interesting to watch how the rotation winds up looking Friday night, but we know Fizdale has no issue shaking things up. READ NEXT: Kristaps Porzingis ‘99.99%’ Likely to Sign Extension in 2019?