Knicks acquire Dennis Smith Jr, DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews and two future first-round picks in blockbuster deal
Friday 1 February 2019 07:06, UK
The New York Knicks have traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks, parting with the young All-Star forward as he recovers from a torn knee ligament.
The Knicks acquired Dennis Smith Jr, DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews and two future first-round picks in the deal Thursday, while also sending guards Tim Hardaway Jr, Trey Burke and Courtney Lee to Dallas.
The Knicks made the surprising move after saying Porzingis requested a trade earlier Thursday.
"As is standard for this time of year, we were exploring various options on potential trades," said Scott Perry, Knicks general manager. "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. We thank Kristaps, Tim, Courtney and Trey for their contributions and wish them all the best."
"When he came in today, it was clear to us that it was time to pull the trigger on something," Knicks president Steve Mills said. "We feel like we did the right thing.
"When you're trying 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. We wanted a confirmation from him whether he was completely in or out and he made it clear to us when he came in to meet with us that no longer wanted to be part of our group."
The 7ft 3in 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.
Porzingis appeared in 186 games (185 starts) for New York, averaging 17.8 points and 7.1 rebounds over 31.0 minutes.
Hardaway has two more years and about $37m left on his contract, and moving that was necessary if the Knicks were going to find a way to open the most cap space possible.
New York (10-40) have the worst record in the NBA and are headed towards landing a high pick in the draft. Then the Knicks will be set up to be big spenders, perhaps for two top players in a free agent market that could include Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving and more.
But they won't have Porzingis, who they once believed was the kind of talent who could help attract those players. The Latvian has three-point range on offense and shot-blocking skills on defense, and had made his first All-Star team just before tearing his ACL after a dunk against Milwaukee on February 6, 2018.
The Knicks had said Porzingis would undergo further testing in the middle of next month that could determine whether he would be cleared to return again this season.
If he does, it will be in Dallas, where he could form an intriguing international frontcourt with rookie Luka Doncic. Both played professionally in Spain before coming to the NBA as top-five picks.
"He's big, he can shoot, he can rebound. He can do a lot of things," said Doncic, who was with the Mavericks at their game in Detroit. "I think he can be one of the best players in this league."
The most intriguing player in the deal from the Knicks' standpoint is Smith, the point guard they passed on with the No 8 pick in 2017 when they instead took Frank Ntilikina. The Mavericks took Smith one pick later, and he posted the second triple-double of his career Wednesday when Dallas won at Madison Square Garden.
Jordan is a former US Olympian and top defensive center, but if it's unclear if the Knicks will hold onto him. They are focused on playing their young players, so could look to move Jordan. The trade deadline is next Thursday.
