Kristaps Porzingis

Lowe’s Latest: Rockets, Prince, Blazers, Heat

February 2nd, 2019 at 3:52pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Rockets and Cavaliers had discussions about sending Brandon Knight to Cleveland along with a first-round pick in exchange for Alec Burks. However, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com hears that those talks have ceased. Houston has also spoken with the Grizzlies about potential Knight deals.

Cleveland is selling Burks, Rodney Hood, and any other “indispensable asset” prior to the deadline, Lowe writes. The team is willing to take back future salary in exchange for picks.

Houston is expected to scour the market for deals leading up to the deadline with an eye on attaching a future first-rounder to Knight and Marquese Chriss. The Rockets would likely push for lottery protections on any picks that would convey past James Harden‘s prime.

Lowe’s latest piece contains trade nuggets from several teams in the league and we’ve already passed along news from the Grizzlies’ Mike Conley and Marc Gasol sweepstakes as well as the Magic’s pre-deadline plan. Here are the rest of the newsworthy notes from the ESPN piece:

The Hawks have made Taurean Prince available in trade talks, sources tell Lowe. Atlanta hasn’t received a ton of traction on Prince deals because of its asking price. The organization wants a young prospect and a pick in exchange for the small forward.
The Blazers have put their first-rounder on the table in trade talks, sources tell Lowe. Portland has reached out about Otto Porter Jr.‘s availability, though Wizards owner Ted Leonsis previously announced that the team would not be trading Porter before the deadline.
Porter has drawn interest from several teams. In addition to the Blazers, the Mavericks and Jazz have kept an eye on the situation. Dallas was interested in swapping Harrison Barnes for Porter prior to the Kristaps Porzingis trade.
Miami appears to be willing to move anyone but Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson and Bam Adebayo for cap relief. Lowe expects the Heat to try to get at least a second-round pick for Wayne Ellington.
Lowe confirms a previous report that JaMychal Green, Justin Holiday, and Garrett Temple are all available. Holiday, who was acquired from the Bulls earlier this year, cost the Grizzlies two second-round picks.
The Kings have approximately $11MM in cap space available and they want to use it to pick up an asset. Lowe writes that it could be a draft pick or a player who will help them win this season.
Sacramento is willing to engage in trade talks about Willie Cauley-Stein, who will be a restricted free agent this summer. The Kings may simply let the center walk should he receive too high of an offer this offseason.
The Bulls are expected to listen to offers for anyone but Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter. Lowe doesn’t expect Chicago to deal either Kris Dunn or Zach LaVine though, as the team’s asking price is anticipated to be too high.
The Nuggets own a pair of trade exceptions and have slightly less than $7MM in breathing room under the tax. They are open to taking on a salary dump if another team calls and has to shed a player in that price range.

Knicks Notes: Fizdale, Porzingis, DSJ, Matthews, Free Agency

February 2nd, 2019 at 11:55am CST by marksuleymanov

In his first season as Knicks head coach, David Fizdale spoke glowingly of a future in which he would coach the team’s now-former star Kristaps Porzingis. After Thursday’s trade that sent the Latvian to the Mavericks, Fizdale will not get that opportunity.

Speaking to reporters, including Marc Berman of the New York Post, about the organization’s decision to trade Porzingis, Fizdale praised their personal relationship but was on board with management’s decision.

“This is what the situation called for,’’ Fizdale said. “I never got to coach him. I was excited to coach him. We had a really good relationship, but he had to make a decision and he felt that it was best that he get a fresh start. You never want to see a player go. But where we are I’m excited about our future.

“I wouldn’t say [things were] not right. I never felt that. But like Scott [Perry] and Steve [Mills] said [Thursday] night, we felt like over a short amount of time we started to feel some distance and some indicators that we felt like we had to clear up some things to get clarity and that’s why they met.”

In dealing Porzingis, the Knicks acquired an asset in Dennis Smith Jr., two future first-round picks and cap space that could net them two max free agents this summer.

Check out more notes surrounding the Knicks:

With Smith in New York, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor looked back at the 2017 NBA Draft in which the point guard was drafted. Some members of the Knicks’ front office were said to be infatuated with Smith, but New York ultimately drafted teenage Frenchman Frank Ntilikina one spot earlier. However, now the organization has both players and can look to see if Smith’s upside supersedes Ntilikina’s — which was the consensus in 2017.
In addition to Smith, draft picks and cap space, the Knicks acquired the expiring contracts of DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews. New York has heard from at least one team interested in trading for Matthews, ESPN’s Ian Begley tweets. However, if no trade is found, both Matthews and Jordan — impending free agents — are buyout candidates.
The widespread coverage of the Porzingis trade has yielded varying opinions on the Knicks’ future. Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated writes that the deal comes with a huge risk but a potentially huge reward if the team can land two elite free agents. Michael Powell of the New York Times opines that Thursday’s trade was the latest sign of organizational incompetence.

Porzingis Unlikely To Play This Season

February 1st, 2019 at 6:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kristaps Porzingis is unlikely to play for the Mavericks this season as he continues his recovery from a torn ACL in his left knee suffered a year ago, Dallas owner Mark Cuban told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.

This comes as no surprise, as the Mavs view Porzingis as a long-term asset. They acquired him in a surprising blockbuster trade with the Knicks on Thursday.

He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer, at which point he could sign his one-year qualifying offer, sign an offer sheet with another team, or negotiate a new deal directly with the Mavs. The Mavericks were willing to gamble that they’ll lock up Porzingis this offseason or the summer of 2020, when he could become an unrestricted free agent.

An All-Star a year ago, Porzingis averaged 22.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 2.4 BPG with a .439/.395/.793 shooting line in 48 games in 2017/18. He has yet to play this season and will obviously have to scrape off a lot of rust if he doesn’t play until next season.

Latest On Anthony Davis

February 1st, 2019 at 2:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Davis has no interest in remaining sidelined while the Pelicans work out his future, tweets Will Guillory of The Athletic. In his first public statements since making his trade request, Davis said he will get his injured left index finger re-evaluated after Saturday’s game in San Antonio and intends to return to action once he is medically cleared.

Davis hasn’t played since January 18 because of a volar plate avulsion fracture. There has been speculation that the Pelicans will keep him sidelined until at least the trade deadline and possibly even the rest of the season to prevent further injury in anticipation of a deal. New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters that Davis won’t be able to play this week (Twittter link), adding that there’s nothing else to stay about his future status (Twitter link from Scott Kushner of The Advocate).

Speaking with reporters today, Davis insisted he never gave the Pelicans “a timetable or a destination” regarding his desire to be traded (Twitter link). He explained that he felt like he has accomplished all he could in New Orleans and wants to try a new challenge, relays Stefano Fusaro on ESPN Now.

“I just feel like it is my time,” Davis said. “Gave the city, organization, fans, everything I felt like I could do. I don’t know how long I’m going to play this game. People’s careers are short. I felt like it is my time to move on.”

There’s more Davis-related news today:

The Lakers remain Davis’ first choice in any trade, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The Knicks are also high on his list and made an offer to the Pelicans that included Kristaps Porzingis before trading him to Dallas yesterday. Porzingis had no plans to sign a long-term deal with New Orleans if he had gone there, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (Twitter link).
The Celtics may try to collect trade chips to improve an eventual offer to New Orleans, writes ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. Boston is investigating the cost of acquiring a few young players who might interest the Pelicans. Management in New Orleans wants to avoid trading Davis to L.A., Windhorst adds, and might be waiting for summer when the Celtics can get involved in the bidding.
Davis’ representatives have put out a message that he won’t re-sign with the Celtics in 2020 unless Kyrie Irving remains with the team, according to Sean Deveney of Sporting News. Irving seems to be having second thoughts about the verbal commitment he made to stay in Boston and may explore his free agency options this summer. However, front-office sources tell Deveney that the statements from Davis’ camp might be a “smokescreen” to scare off the Celtics and give Davis an easier path to L.A. If Irving does leave, the Celtics would likely drop out of the bidding for Davis without a commitment that they can keep him past next season. That may leave the Pelicans without a strong alternative to sending Davis to the Lakers, which Deveney also states that the front office is trying to avoid.

Porzingis Notes: Knicks, Durant, Mavs, Reactions

February 1st, 2019 at 8:35am CST by Luke Adams

While NBA fans waited for word on a possible Anthony Davis trade, the Knicks came out of nowhere on Thursday to shake up the trade market by sending potential star Kristaps Porzingis to the Mavericks in a blockbuster deal that involved seven players and a pair of draft picks.

We’ve got plenty of notes and reactions related to that trade to round up this morning, so let’s dive right in, separating them by team…

Knicks notes:

An “acrimonious divorce” between the Knicks and Porzingis has seemed inevitable since he blew off his exit meeting with the franchise two years ago, writes Frank Isola of The Athletic. Isola’s look at the situation includes a handful of other interesting details, including the fact that the Knicks had Thursday’s trade lined up for “a couple of days.” Isola also hears from a source that Porzingis’ camp had begun to wonder if the Knicks would be comfortable with a European as their franchise player.
The meeting that took place on Thursday between Knicks management and Porzingis – as well as his brother Janis – took less than five minutes, reports Ian Begley of ESPN.com. “When the meeting occurred this morning, we’d already been having many conversations with a number of teams,” GM Scott Perry said on Thursday. “So we decided to act upon one.”
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, executives around the NBA were left with the same impression after Thursday’s trade: Knicks management must be confident that the team can land Kevin Durant this summer. Amick adds that some rival executives have indicated that Knicks officials themselves have been conveying “a very high level of optimism” regarding 2019 free agency.
Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News examines some of the other top-tier free agent targets the Knicks will now be targeting this summer besides Durant.
Porzingis issued a cryptic message on Instagram on Thursday, writing “The truth will come out :)” (Twitter link via JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors). He later deleted the post, but it seems he may not have loved Knicks management characterizing Thursday’s move as their reaction to a “trade request.”

Mavericks notes:

The Mavericks aren’t sure when Porzingis, who is still recovering from his ACL tear, will be able to return to action, but they’re not too concerned about that, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com. The club made the deal with an eye toward the next 5-10 years, not just 2018/19.
Luka Doncic was enthusiastic about the Mavericks’ acquisition of Porzingis, as Dan Murphy of ESPN.com relays. “He’s such an amazing player, so this could be a good thing,” Doncic said. “He’s big, he can shoot, he can rebound, he can do a lot of things. I think he can be one of the best players in this league.”
Longtime Mavs franchise player Dirk Nowitzki also liked the move, calling Porzingis “a perfect fit for the new NBA,” according to Murphy. “If you have a chance to add a franchise-caliber player like Porzingis you’ve just gotta go for it,” Nowitzki said. “… He’s mobile enough to play the four. He can be a spread five. He can move, block shots, post. Before he got hurt he played a great all-around game. He’s got the work ethic to be great. He’s a good dude.”
While the Mavs are adding a potential star, the deal cost the team multiple players who are well-liked in the locker room, according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News, who explores how Dallas’ veterans reacted to news of the trade. “It’s tough,” Devin Harris said. “The human emotion part of it, losing your teammates, and the shock of it, we all felt it this afternoon. We’ve still got a job to do. I thought the guys did a good job of coming out and still trying to win (Thursday’s) game.”

Knicks Trade Kristaps Porzingis To Mavericks

January 31st, 2019 at 5:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have traded Kristaps Porzingis, Courtney Lee, Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Mavericks for Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews and two first-round picks, both teams announced in press releases Thursday.

News of this deal comes just shortly after word broke that Porzingis had met with Knicks management to express frustration with the direction of the organization, leaving the team with the impression that he wanted to be moved. While Porzingis’ preference to be dealt may have jump-started these talks, it didn’t take the Knicks long to find a potential deal they liked, suggesting that they may not have been fully invested in the relationship either.

“As is standard for this time of year, we were exploring various options on potential trades,” Knicks general manager Scott Perry said in a statement. “Considering the uncertainty regarding Kristaps’ free agent status and his request today to be traded, we made a trade that we are confident improves the franchise.”

From the Knicks’ perspective, moving on from Porzingis by attaching two unwanted multi-year contracts to him creates some tantalizing free agent possibilities for the franchise. By replacing Porzingis’ cap hold ($17.09MM), Hardaway’s salary ($18.15MM), and Lee’s salary ($12.76MM) with Smith’s modest $4.46MM salary on the 2019/20 books, the Knicks will reduce their commitments by approximately $43.5MM, which should open up enough cap room for two maximum-salary free agents.

The Knicks’ only players with guaranteed contracts for 2019/20 are Smith, Frank Ntilikina, Kevin Knox, and Mitchell Robinson. Armed with those youngsters and a likely top-five pick, New York will enter free agency with the ability to potentially land two free agents from a group that includes Kevin Durant, Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving, and others.

Besides creating substantial cap flexibility, the Knicks will acquire Smith, a second-year guard who wasn’t happy with his role in Dallas. The ninth overall pick in the 2017 draft, DSJ saw his responsibilities dialed back due to Luka Doncic‘s emergence this season. Smith has still built upon some of last year’s numbers, averaging 12.9 PPG, 4.3 APG, and 3.0 RPG with a .440/.344/.695 shooting line. He now appears poised to take over point guard duties in New York, a year after the team passed on him to draft Ntilikina.

New York also acquired a 2021 unprotected first-round pick and 2023 protected first-round pick (1-10) in the trade agreement, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ian Begley reported.

“We feel like we did the right thing,” Knicks president Steve Mills said, according to Begley. “When you try to think about how you want to build your team for the long term, you don’t want to commit a max (contract) to a player who clearly says to you he doesn’t want to be here.”

Jordan and Matthews, who are on pricey expiring deals, likely don’t have a future in New York. Rival executives expect the Knicks to explore the trade market over the next week for potential deals involving those veterans, according to Jake Fischer of SI.com (Twitter link). Both Fischer and ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link) suggest that Jordan and Matthews will be intriguing buyout candidates if they’re not flipped by the Knicks.

Perry emphasized in a conference call Thursday that both Jordan and Matthews could have a positive impact on their young players for the remainder of the season, as relayed by Begley. This, of course, is provided they aren’t traded or bought out from their current deals. This statement drew a questioning response on social media from Knicks center Enes Kanter, another candidate to be traded by the deadline.

Meanwhile, the deal represents a huge swing for the Mavericks, who will pair Porzingis with Doncic with an eye toward keeping both players in Dallas for years to come. By taking on the multiyear contracts for Hardaway and Lee in exchange for Jordan and Matthews, Dallas will almost certainly give up its chance to create cap room in 2019, but will be on track to open up significant space in 2020, while Doncic is still on his rookie contract. Porzingis posted a clip of him shaking hands with Doncic after the trade became official, clearly excited for his new partnership in Dallas.

An All-Star a year ago, Porzingis averaged 22.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 2.4 BPG with a .439/.395/.793 shooting line in 48 games in 2017/18, displaying franchise-player potential. However, a torn ACL ended his season early and has sidelined him for the entire 2018/19 campaign so far. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer, at which point he could sign his one-year qualifying offer, sign an offer sheet with another team, or negotiate a new deal directly with the Mavs.

Dallas also created a $12.9MM trade exception in the agreement, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Additionally, Marks notes (via Twitter) that the two teams will have to account for Hardaway’s 15% trade bonus, which is currently worth $3.75MM. Assuming THJ doesn’t waive it, his cap hits will increase by $1.875MM annually for this season and next, and the Knicks will have to pay the bonus money.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Porzingis Plans To Inform Mavs He’ll Sign QO?

January 31st, 2019 at 3:37pm CST by Luke Adams

3:37pm: Porzingis has yet to make any formal decisions on his future with the Mavs, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

3:31pm: With the Mavericks and Knicks in the process of finalizing a trade that will send Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas, Shams Charania of The Athletic has provided another fascinating detail. According to Charania (Twitter link), Porzingis intends to inform the Mavs that he plans to sign his qualifying offer as a restricted free agent this summer.

In order to make a player a restricted free agent, a team must submit a one-year qualifying offer to that player. This QO serves as a placeholder one-year contract offer, which the player can accept if he wants to. Accepting a qualifying offer puts the player on track to reach unrestricted free agency the following year, but typically pays him far less than he’d receive on a multiyear contract.

In Porzingis’ case, because he has failed to meet the “starter criteria” this season (by making at least 41 starts or playing 2,000+ minutes), his qualifying offer will be worth just $4.5MM. By comparison, a maximum-salary offer from the Mavericks would be worth a projected $27.25MM in 2019/20 and approximately $158MM over five years.

While Porzingis could potentially cash in with a huge payday in 2020, playing on a one-year, $4.5MM deal next year would be a huge gamble for a young player coming off ACL surgery. If he thrives next season, he’d be in position to reach the open market in ’20 and choose his destination without any restrictions, but if he struggles at all or battles more injuries, his long-term value could take a major hit.

It appears the Mavericks are comfortable going through with the trade despite not having any long-term assurances from Porzingis, which makes sense. The franchise likely figures it can use the next year and a half to convince the 23-year-old to stay in Dallas long-term. If he ultimately leaves, the cost – Dennis Smith Jr., plus the expiring contracts of Wesley Matthews and DeAndre Jordan and a future first-rounder – wasn’t too damaging, and the Mavs would be in position to open up a massive amount of cap room in 2020.

Assuming the Mavs and Knicks make their deal official and Porzingis informs Dallas of his summer plans, this will be a fascinating story to watch in the coming months, as there’s no guarantee the big man won’t re-think his stance.

The Mavs could potentially point to Nerlens Noel – who signed his qualifying offer with Dallas after turning down a reported four-year, $70MM offer from the club, then had to settle for a minimum-salary contract the following year – as a cautionary tale during their discussions with Porzingis.

Porzingis May Prefer Trade; Knicks Expected To Explore Market

January 31st, 2019 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After meeting with Knicks management to express his concern about the team’s direction, Kristaps Porzingis left the franchise with the impression that he prefers to be traded, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Knicks are expected to begin discussions about possible Porzingis trades ahead of next week’s deadline, the ESPN duo reports.

As we relayed in our earlier Porzingis story, the injured big man – along with his brother (and agent) Janis – reportedly spoke to the Knicks today about his frustration with the team’s losing, the franchise’s history of dysfunction, and his concern about whether sustainable organizational success is possible.

While ESPN’s report suggested that Porzingis would like to win in New York, it seems that he’s not confident that can happen anytime soon. He’ll be a restricted free agent during the summer of 2019, so the Knicks are in position to hang onto him for at least another season, if they so choose, but it sounds like the club is willing to test the market to see what kind of offers are out there. The Knicks previously considered trading Porzingis when Phil Jackson was in charge of basketball decisions.

Considering Porzingis still hasn’t returned to action following that ACL tear, it’s not clear what the trade market for him would look like at this point. If he’s able to get back on the court during the final couple months of the season and prove he’s healthy, it would increase his value, but it’s not clear when he’ll return — plus, it may be tricky for the Knicks to pull off a sign-and-trade deal in the offseason.

The Celtics, Clippers, Thunder, and Spurs figure to be among the teams with interest in trading for Porzingis, tweets Frank Isola of The Athletic. Wojnarowski names the Clippers and Spurs as well, adding the Nets, Heat, and Raptors to the list of potential suitors (Twitter link). Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (Twitter link) throws the Mavericks into the mix as well.

As we noted earlier today, Porzingis will have a limited ability to jump ship anytime soon if he’s not traded during the season or in a sign-and-trade. He could accept his qualifying offer this summer and become an unrestricted free agent in 2020, but settling for a one-year, $4.5MM deal would be a big risk for a 7’3″ player coming off an ACL tear.

His other option would be to sign a shorter-term offer sheet with a rival suitor — the Knicks would almost certainly match it, but Porzingis would have the opportunity to get back on the open market sooner than if he signs a four- or five-year contract with New York.

If the Knicks don’t move Porzingis before the deadline, it will be interesting to see if he reconsiders his stance at all in the coming months. New York has a good deal of cap flexibility and is in position to land a top-five draft pick, so it’s not as if the club is poised to stay stuck in lottery territory forever. Some good luck in the draft lottery or on the free agent market could substantially accelerate the Knicks’ rebuilding process.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pelicans, Lakers Discuss Anthony Davis

January 31st, 2019 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

1:44pm: The Lakers let Demps know that one of their potential scenarios for Davis would include Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Ivica Zubac, and a first-round pick, a source tells Turner (Twitter link). ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne (Twitter link) hears that it’s “common sense to assume no one but LeBron James would be untouchable.”

1:33pm: The Pelicans and Lakers have connected on the phone to discuss Davis and are expected to talk again before next week’s deadline, tweets Wojnarowski.

Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times adds a few more details, reporting that Magic Johnson presented Demps with five different trade scenarios and is waiting to hear back from the Pelicans about which scenario would interest them the most (Twitter links). According to Turner (Twitter link), the Lakers want to get a deal done now, and don’t plan on trying to outbid the Celtics and other teams in the summer, when they plan to shift their focus to free agent targets.

10:39am: Although he’s getting back to other teams that have inquired on Anthony Davis, Pelicans general manager Dell Demps has yet to return the Lakers‘ call, according to a new report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe. While Demps is expected to eventually get back to the Lakers well before next week’s trade deadline, the “sluggish response time” is perhaps intended to send a message to the team.

As Wojnarowski and Lowe observe, the Pelicans may blame the Lakers in part for Davis’ trade request, and will want to show that they fully intend to make a deal on their own timeline, rather than at a time that would most benefit the Lakers. We relayed earlier today that the Pelicans plan to play the long game with Davis, and ESPN’s latest report reiterates that point, indicating that owner Gayle Benson is “enthusiastically carrying the small market banner,” resisting a union of AD and LeBron James in L.A.

New Orleans’ mantra so far, per Woj and Lowe, is that Davis is welcome to become a Laker in 2020 when he can reach free agency. If the Lakers are willing to wait that long, they’ll have to preserve cap room for an extra year, complicating their plans for the 2019/20 season.

It’s the latest in a series of “icy” receptions the Lakers feel they’ve received as they try to trade for star players. According to Woj and Lowe, the Lakers got the “unmistakable impression” last summer that the Spurs had no intention of ever trading Kawhi Leonard to L.A., though the Spurs simply said they weren’t interested in the Lakers’ package.

Here’s more from Woj and Lowe on the Davis situation:

For now, Davis’ camp is treating any potential trade destination besides the Lakers as a temporary stop, since his plan would be to sign with L.A. in 2020. However, teams are curious to see if that stance softens after the trade deadline. It may be a leverage play to encourage a trade to the Lakers within the next seven days.
Davis’ view of Boston is linked to Kyrie Irving‘s future, sources tell Woj and Lowe. Davis and his camp aren’t convinced that Irving will re-sign with the Celtics this summer. The Celtics believe they’d be capable of keeping both players long-term, as there’s a sense in Boston that trading for AD would help convince Irving to stay.
Jayson Tatum is an important wild card for the Celtics — the ideal scenario for Boston would be to use other assets in an AD trade and build a Big Three of Tatum, Davis, and Irving. But if it helps convince the Pelicans to wait until the offseason to deal Davis, the C’s could tell New Orleans now that they’re open to moving Tatum. If they tell the Pelicans as much, they’ll have to keep their word in the summer to avoid damaging their league-wide reputation, Woj and Lowe note.
The Pelicans continue to explore the market value of Nikola Mirotic, Julius Randle, and E’Twaun Moore, sources tell ESPN.
Kristaps Porzingis would be reluctant to approve a sign-and-trade to New Orleans as part of a package for Davis, which could make things tricky for the Knicks, since the value of their 2019 first-rounder remains up in the air due to the lottery. If they’re willing to include Porzingis in an offer, they’d probably have to do so this week, before the precise value of their 2019 draft pick is clear.
For the time being, Davis plans to play for the Pelicans again before the deadline, sources tell ESPN.

Porzingis Expresses Concern About Knicks’ Direction

January 31st, 2019 at 1:29pm CST by Luke Adams

1:29pm: Within their full story on the Porzingis situation, Wojnarowski, Shelburne, Lowe, and Ian Begley suggest that it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Knicks could explore a trade involving Porzingis if tensions between the two sides continue to increase. Teams around the league have been keeping an eye on the situation to see if there might be a pathway to acquire Porzingis, front office sources tell ESPN.

1:17pm: Knicks big man Kristaps Porzingis met with team management today and expressed concern about the direction of the franchise, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Ramona Shelburne, and Zach Lowe (Twitter links).

Per ESPN, Porzingis – a restricted free agent this summer – would like to play for a winner in New York, but is worried about all the losing and the direction of the team, as well as his future role. The 23-year-old also isn’t sure that the 10-40 Knicks are developing a culture that will “enable sustainable organizational success,” Woj writes.

[RELATED: 2018/19 NBA Reverse Standings]

Because he’ll be a restricted free agent this offseason, Porzingis has limited flexibility to jump ship anytime soon. If he decides he doesn’t want to be a Knick, he could accept his qualifying offer this summer and become an unrestricted free agent in 2020, but settling for a one-year, $4.5MM deal would be a big risk for a 7’3″ player coming off an ACL tear.

His other option would be to sign a shorter-term offer sheet with a rival team — the Knicks would match it, but Porzingis would have the opportunity to get back on the open market sooner than if he signs a four- or five-year contract with New York.

The Knicks, of course, will do their best to ease Porzingis’ concerns and then negotiate with him directly in free agency. They’ll have the advantage of being able to offer him an extra year (five instead of four) and larger raises (8% instead of 5%). The former No. 4 overall pick is expected to be in line for a maximum salary contract, despite missing most or all of the 2018/19 season.

The timing of today’s report is interesting, since Porzingis’ name has been floated this week in trade speculation as the Knicks emerge as a possible suitor for Anthony Davis. This is just my speculation, but Porzingis’ frustration may stem in part from uncertainty about whether the franchise intends to dangle him as trade bait in a potential offer for Davis.

Load More Posts