There’s still nearly a week left before the trade deadline. Unless the Pelicans decide to move Anthony Davis before the offseason, the deal made the Mavericks and Knicks on Thursday will be hard to top.
Seemingly out of nowhere, the Knicks gave up on disgruntled Kristaps Porzingis and positioned themselves to be even bigger players in the free agent market this summer. Dallas acquired Porzingis and three backcourt players for young point guard Dennis Smith, the expiring contracts of Wesley Matthews and DeAndre Jordan and two future first-round picks.
It’s unlikely Porzingis will play this season as he continues his knee rehab, according to Mavs owner Mark Cuban. No matter. Dallas now has a young, supremely talented big man to pair up with rookie sensation Luka Doncic.
In a league where star power means everything, the Mavericks made a bold decision to surrender cap space and future assets to build their team around that duo. If Porzingis can regain his previous form, the Mavericks could become bona fide contenders once again. They’ll also become an attractive destination in future years for big-name free agents looking to jump on the Doncic-Porzingis bandwagon.
The Knicks rid themselves of a headache — Porzingis had let it be known he wasn’t happy with the state of the franchise. They also now have the room to sign two top-level free agents with speculation abound that Kevin Durant will move to the Big Apple.
That makes this summer all the more pivotal for the franchise and puts heavy pressure on the front office to catch a couple of big fish in the free agent pond this summer. As a bonus, they collect a couple of assets with the future first-rounders, which gives them more flexibility to make moves to build around whatever free agents they land.
That leads us to our question of the day: Which team do you feel got the better of the blockbuster deal between the Knicks and Mavericks and why?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
It all depends on how well the Knicks do in FA this offseason or next. If they strike out both years then Dallas wins hands down if they do well and sign 1 or 2 big names then its a win win for both
With league-high $75M in cap space, Knicks sign KD and Kyrie. All that’s left, pray NY gets #1 overall pick and win the Zion sweepstakes.
Knicks ARE BACK!!!
Alot of things have to really break for NY in the right way though. Otherwise they just traded their biggest hope in years for more pieces as they have wasted many pieces for many years.
You just need 3 miracles to return you to relevance.
Good luck with that.
I’m curious to see if the Knicks can get anything for Wesley Matthews or DeAndre Jordan also.
Plus those future 1st Rounders will be valuable one way or another, either as solid-mediocre picks or a trade bait.
Knicks can’t get anything for Matthews or Jordan – won’t be able to deal them until after the deadline, and they’re gone at the end of the year anyway with expiring contracts.
padam,
For the sake of argument, Knicks can flip Jordan and Matthew for something — anything they will, for something, other than salary cap space.
1-for-whatever deals are allowed. Knicks can flip Jordan and Matthews, long as they’re traded by themselves (no other player included with them)
This restriction expires March 30, 2019, moot point — They’re expiring contracts!
The proof is in the pudding. Here is my proof;
(link to espn.com) Kings send two 2nd round picks to Knicks, or something. I don’t know. I suck at these things, but enjoy trade scenarios in NBA far more than MLB, perhaps cuz I’m a spoiled NYY fan Lol. They been losing A LOT since 2000. Hope they land Kyrie and KD. For the first time in a long time, I believe in the the direction of NY Knicks.
— 12 game losing streak, lost 25 of 27. More lost in the final moment this season than could count Lol
Join my painful journey into the Zion sweepstakes
http://www.tankathon.com
Gotcha. Thanks for the info.
And I agree, for once it seems they’re doing it right. Last person who did it right was Donnie Walsh when he cleared all the bad contacts Thomas created.
For the Mavs, it comes down to 2 things.
Can KP return to full health? Can they add a 3rd star in the next 2 offseasons?
The Knicks are gonna be the Knicks. Doesn’t matter who they sign. That organization is a mess.
Well what exactly are the Knicks going to do with Dennis Smith Jr?
They are still loaded with Guards, so how does Jr. fit in? Will they flip Smith, Jr?
Really the Knicks got rid of a Cancer, but they did not replace him with anything of note, except wishful thinking.
Hes not getting traded for Simmons lol.
Ha! Well if I suggested that, pain would rain down on me like a monsoon
Maybe. the Knicks could be convinced Fultz would be a good fit for them at SG
If Fultz cant handle Philly, hed die in NYC. Waiting for a North Dakota expansion team to pop up and ship him there.
DAL if KP can get and stay healthy. Knicks if they can actually attract 2 top tier FAs and trade picks for a third. If all that happens it’s a win/win. If KP stays injured and the Knicks blow cap space on 2 Hardaway Jr types then I will still say the Knicks because of the pick accumulation.
If KP becomes Greg Oden, the Knicks won the trade.
If KP is just an okay pro, Knicks won the trade not paying him max.
If the Knicks get 2 max worthy players, the Knicka won the trade.
If KP becomes a HOF and the Knicks dont get 2 max worthy players the Knicks lost the trade.
That may have been their rationale. 75% win vs 25% loss.
Which team do you feel got the better of the blockbuster deal between the Knicks and Mavericks and why?
I feel the Knicks got the better of the blockbuster deal because #NewYorkForever.
All jokes aside, anytime you acquire Kristaps Porzingis you obviously win the trade.
The NBA offseason is a game of musical chairs. This offseason has a ton of players looking for new homes. The unibrow, Durant, Cousins, Leonard, etc…
LeBron has already started recruiting, who knows if he can get anyone to join him. The Clippers are rumored as a destination of choice for some. NY is a great city for additional marketing exposure. Boston has the resources for a big trade. But at the end of the day, no one knows where anybody is going. It was considered a slam dunk that Paul George would be joining James in LA. Didn’t happen. The Mavs tried to lure big names for years and had the cap room to do so. Didn’t happen.
So I applaud Dallas for going for it with the unicorn. Just last year they were a lottery team with no real future in sight. Then Luka has quickly turned into a future superstar. KP is a risk, but if he comes back the team could be set for a decade plus.
NY is taking a huge risk, and it could pay off. But there are so many moving pieces and different scenarios that as of this moment, Dallas won. If NY gets two max players then the gamble was worth it. So only time will tell.
DSJ is a head case and I’d be surprised if he can make it in the big Apple. He is sporadic as a player and the media could crush him. Not to mention he’s joining a team with other guards which caused his outbursts. Will be interesting to see how he responds.
It would be great for the NBA is this pans out for both teams. Dallas having two young superstars would be a blast to watch. New York getting two max players has a huge positive ripple effect for the overall health of the game. That’s my wish, is that both teams ‘win’ this trade.
Dallas wins BIG regardless of what the Knicks do. 8 months ago this organization was a rebuilding team with no meaningful assets, except the 5th pick in a draft with a clear top 4, and looking at a long rebuild. They now have 2 of the best young players in the game, and the hardest part of the rebuild is in place. Gave up? Worst case, at some point, if the rebuild fails, they may lose one pick that might project to yield a player who might someday reach the level that these two already have.
The Knicks won the right to try and win the biggest event in the sport, the elite FA game. If by some miracle we win that, does it make the trade a win? If this was the only way in, and they knew something, then yes. But other than the unprotected 1st, we didn’t get anything valuable. The second 1st is remote, contingent and protected, so its not worth that much. DSJ is worth a couple of 2nd round picks (that’s all Dallas was offered a few weeks ago, hard to believe it’s more now). He’s a bust, regardless of what his camp and the Mavs have tried to put out there.
Oh wow!
Someone who doesn’t know cap space is valuable!
Where did they dig you up?
As I see it… The Knicks moved so fast with Porzingus because they have Kyrie Irving coming over if they get either Durant or more likely, Anthony Davis.
The roster will have to be rebuilt with free agents after they trade 6 players & maybe 3 r1 picks for AD. This is the year to do that, with the vast number of FAs available this summer– one more thing that’s coming together for NY in 2019, besides Irving’s desire to best Lebron.
Another is the Knicks get to avoid a tough max-contract decision with KP.
Knicks probably have a backup plan too with Kemba Walker interested. So caution to the wind! Bye Porzy!
Brooklyn may also benefit from players looking at destination cities– and, at a team getting steadily better on their own merits. I think BRK could make a good deal for AD but Demps will want to make sure AD stays far away.
1.Irving,Mudiay 2.SmithJr 3.Hezonja 4.A.Davis,Vonleh 5.Kornet
4 of those players will be gone next yr.
They’re FAs. But the Knicks will have an empty roster (I predict) and should pursue some semblance of continuity and re-sign them.
To get AD, every Knick under contract (except Smith) will have to go to NOP for matching.
It would be wierd for a team to have all new players!
“I think” if the Knicks traded Dennis Smith Jr., Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilkina, Alonzo Trier, and Lance Thomas plus their own 1st and the 2 Dallas 1sts to New Orleans for Anthony Davis And Solomon Hill (Don’t have to match salaries with Knicks under cap), that would put them at $43mm, keeping Dotson and Robinson. Next years salary cap is $109mm. That would leave them $66mm to sign Kyrie and Durant. If they didn’t take on Solomon they’d have $78mm. It’s a longshot.
The mavs picks and two picks from us after this year plus smith, ntlinka, knox and trier this offseason for AD
I assume that is a “next-year” trade (after July1)? Enabling the Knicks to take on Solomon’s contract also would very much help the Knick’s chances. Then Smith can go with the others, while Robinson & Dotson be kept.
Between May24 & July1 if the Knicks get the Zion pick, still using 18/19 figures, is what I was figuring:
Lance, Frank, Knox, Trier, Robinson, Dotson– all the Knicks under contract for next year– plus r1s including Zion– traded for Davis & Williams, works in the trade machine. Any less, no. Now if the Pels are not interested in any or some of those, an expiring (Mudiay, Hezonja, Vonleh, Kornet) could be subbed, but they would quickly be FAs. (They may not want Lance or Frank.)
SmithJr has different rules but he could be traded in a related deal for two low-salary Pels to help even the head count, and sweeten the deal.
Then Irving says yay and abandons Boston. Then Durant leaves GSW. It’s less of a longshot if they had already agreed to it!
The absolute only way the Knicks made a smart trade, is if they are guilty of tampering and know for a fact that Kyrie is signing this summer. The only way the Knicks come out of this thing well is if they use that cap space to sign a couple stars this summer. DSJ is a big bust, only one of the picks is useful and even that will likely not be in the lottery. Mav’s just got a young very special player that’s once in a draft at worst. If KP can get back to being healthy and productive then then Mavs have the two most important parts of a rebuild before Dirk even retires cudos to Cuban.
The Mavericks fleeced the best player from New York hands down, Dennis Smith Jr is still a work in progress and he might develop into something. Once KP gets healthy next season, he and Luka will be hard to stop.
KP is a career 43% shooter with 4 FTA p/g. I question how much people actually watched the dude play vs highlights and wet dreams of what he *could* be in a few years.
People come with the “oh well they need miracles for the Knicks plan to work” while ignoring the fact that KP could very well be Bargnani 2.0. Highly talented, and that’s all people say his entire career…”ya know…he has the talent tho. He *could* do this and *could* do that”
Watching him play..I dunno what his game is. League average from deep isn’t good enough to be volume from out there, he can drive out of the mid-post but he’s hardly ever there to do so as he likes to chill near the arch – his midrange game isn’t Dirk-like. Easy to make him uncomfortable with physicality even from people a foot shorter than he is. His counter moves look clumsy and you can’t rely on a move that looks like it’s being spawned right out of “oh **** oh **** 0h ****!!!” aka – rushed.
Potential yes, but lots of work to do. Trading that for a look at a young explosive pg & flexibility cap space provides can’t be viewed as ‘bad’. Unless your valuation of KP is based on highlights, euro-league/world games, and f****in video games.
DSJ is a young explosive pg. So explosive that he walked out on his teammates because he wasn’t being seen as the ‘star’ of the team. He’s a massive head case. Hopefully he can turn things around under the bright lights of NY as the potential is there.
Well it depends on if the Knicks can convince a top free agent or two to come to them. How many times have the Knicks talked about adding a top free agent only to come up with nothing? New York is a great market, but James Dolan is a horrible owner. He has made a mess of the franchise and doesn’t have a ton of young talent on hand, as the Knicks haven’t drafted well. It isn’t an easy sell to a player to come to a team who has been bad for as long as the Knicks have.
Knicks win the trade. It’s also good for Dallas, but riskier for them than the Knicks. Even if the Knicks dont sign anyone this offseason, I still think they won the trade, as they accumulate assets and build a strong young core, assuming they add a top 3 pick in this draft
And assuming the Knicks don’t screw up the pick. They have been known to make some poor picks in the first round
As much as I’d like to think that the Knicks did not make out as bad as some have claimed in this deal, the Mavs really did not give up a ton considering the caliber of player they received. Smith was more than expendable, and an unprotected future first is pretty much expected when dealing for a guy like KP. The protections on the second 1st rounder are the classic “if it conveys it’s no sweat off our backs” type. Plus the contracts they took back aren’t even dead weight, both players can be solid contributors on a team in win-now mode. Just hard to envision a scenario where the Mavs end up deeply regretting this deal, it would likely take KP being a shell of the player he is now and the Mavs being a bottom ten team in 2021 (or whenever that unprotected 1st is).
As for the Knicks, they did not make out poorly considering it sounded like KP wanted out. The quick move was the right move, their leverage at the negotiating table was only going to decrease in time, and as such so would the return. Clearing cap room is almost a necessity when trading your best player (especially when trading for picks & youngins), irregardless of whether they end up signing an FA like Irving or KD. If your gonna be bad, you better have flexibility. Getting smith, while ironic considering they passed on him in the draft, is getting a young PG with the potential to man the position long term. Which is something they were clearly lacking at that position before hand, and as such it’s certainly a net positive for the Knicks. Netting Two 1sts,especially with one being unprotected, is a solid get as well when considering the contracts they parted with. And at the end of the day, your franchise cornerstone who was your key building block hasnt even seen The court in what will be a year and a half. As good as KP was and likely still is, hedging all of your bets on a guy whose missed significant time and is currently rehabing (especially at 7’1) is a precarious way to build a contender. KP’s Injury, discontent with the clubs direction, and not even being able to see him play in over a year makes this an easy pill to swallow. Not to mention their path to contention with KP was murky at best. With Several bad veteran contracts on the books, mixed in with their their younger rawer prospects, they looked directionless as a team. With their only feasible path to contention being to sign a max contract worthy player while also nailing their upcoming lotto pick. Hopefully now the Knicks truly plan to play and develop their youngins, while widthholding from mismanaging their cap space and also not signing veteran players seeking a substantial role on the team (thus murkying there direction and player development again). Ideally they’d not be major players this offseason, and just take the pick and develop the young guys. Or they could say screw it and sign kemba walker and a couple of 2-3rd tier FA and we can enjoy that watching that roster going nowhere. Where was I? Oh ya long story short despite this deal not operating in a vacuum where it can be sheilded from the Knicks decision making in general, the deal in a vacuum isn’t bad but also clearly comes with much more adherent risk then it did for the Mavs, so Mavs win
You seem awfully certain that Porzingis recovers from his injury and becomes an all star.
Do you think the knicks record next year is better or worse with the trade?
Yeah even I had to double check that after being questioned, but he did make an all-star appearance the year he got injured. Being a perennial all-star caliber player though, yes thats something that is still yet to be proven. I’m not necessarily all gun ho on KP being same level of player that he was pre injury, maybe he does maybe he doesn’t. I’m more gun ho on the Mavs ‘ “worst case scenario” being a better spot to be in than the Knicks’. For instance If KP becomes, like someone else mentioned, Greg oden then they have really only lost for certain an unprotected 1st, with the possibility of two at the cost of being at worst mildly competitive (which is something that mark Cuban seems love). Smith on the block, Jordan and Matthews trade fodder. Where the Knicks worst case scenario involves them only getting the single pick, and not drafting a player of KPs level with it. And of course failing to land said player in FA. Which leaves you with smith who at worst is what he’s been which in terms of a return isnt much lol.
Idk on guessing the Knicks record, it’ll be bad for certain but I suppose bad could also still be a technical improvement. What’s the margin of error here. Actually screw it I guess just as bad if not worse and a 10 game spread to beat in order to be considered “better”
Paragraphs please.
Zinger is not on record saying he wanted out. Exec Steve Mills said he said he “no longer wanted to be a part of our group”. I think this is called hearsay– it could be made up. Thing is, nobody talks that way, so there is some element of fabrication involved. I doubt the trade was Zinger’s idea. There’s a bigger picture.
Not meant to be practice for your Masters Thesis. Sheesh
Trade their 1st round pick unprotected to Boston with Jordan for Kyrie.
Why?
sign him as a FA and keep the pick.
People are forgetting that KP can’t stay healthy. He has a fragile body and the Knicks were due to pay that body 30mmba year. He is not worth it. Furthermore, I personally l, don’t like his attitude for a player that hasn’t accomplished anything. Even if they don’t sign any big star next year, they will have a top 3 pick in this year draft plus more pick from Dallas. Let’s we how KP does playing against the big in the west.
The deal is a win-win-win.
The Mavs win because they get an all star that is a great fit with their team. There is a ton of risk which is why the second pick they are sending to the knicks turns into a second if they can’t get out of the lottery but it was a good risk for a team that wouldn’t have been able to land any free agents.
It’s a win for the knicks because they can use the max slot they would have given to POrzingis on a better player in free agency and because having the second max slot will help them get a top free agent who otherwise would have been leery about joining the KNicks with the season they are having and porzingis coming off injury. Cleaning house for a new group of stars was easily the right move.
Some have mentioned the return for Porzingis as a problem but since he was about to be maxed in free agency this trade just transfers what they would have paid him to someone else. I prefer that for a variety of reasons.
It’s a win for KP because he gets to go to dallas which is what he wanted. I’m pretty confident he would have severely limited the Knicks trade options if they had dragged this out at all.
I think both teams will be better in the future due to this deal.