The Mavericks and Knicks Both Won the Porzingis Trade (For Now)
If healthy, the Dallas Mavericks landed a potential superstar in Kristaps Porzingis to pair with rookie sensation Luka Doncic. The Knicks, in clearing a boat load of cap space, actually come out as winners too (unless they mess it up… yeah, they’ll probably mess it up).
THE BASKETBALL TRADES. THEY’RE HAPPENING!!!
This past Thursday, #NBATwitter was officially set ablaze, when, in what seemed like warp speed, we experienced the first materialization of an NBA trade during this mini-season that’s known as the NBA Trade Deadline and specifically, this 2019 version. It was nothing short of magical!
An abruptly-disgruntled Kristaps Porzingis, the New York Knicks 7'3 multi-purpose star (among a gang of others) was involved in a seven-player, multi-pick deal, being sent to the Dallas Mavericks to essentially kick off the mini-season that is NBA Trade Deadline week. At first glance, there’s a ton of moving pieces here, with many angles and opinions culminating from across the web… and all at once. Only a league like the “Association” garners this kind of universal social media action, folks.
This deal appears to have come out of thin air. Just earlier today, we learned of Porzingis’ growing unhappiness with the franchise’s direction (big shocker), followed by the assumption that he’d like to be dealt, although it seems the guys never actually iterated those words to management. Then, within a couple of hours, Porzingis was shipped off and the trade was almost mysteriously completed.
Do we think this is yet another example of a “star” forcing his way out of a less favorable situation and out of town completely. It seems he only expressed his displeasure with the direction of the franchise, rather than publicly request or demand a trade. Or, was it only a matter of time until that took place? Whatever the scenario, it seems the Knicks were ready to pull the trigger, insinuating that a deal(s) could have been in the works for some time with various trade partners.
And while on the topic, what great timing for this trade, as Andrew Jardine and I spoke about the “do NBA players have too much power?” narrative on Wednesday’s 3rd Episode of the First Down Sports Hoops Podcast (below).
For the much-maligned New York Knicks, it’s entirely obvious to understand why it’s most prized player would be unsatisfied with the direction. Not only has owner James Dolan misguided the team during KP’s short time there, but there’s overwhelming and damning evidence of their perpetual ineptitude that spans basically two decades. When added up, it’s pretty alarming. However, this deal represents their first (and seismic) step in the bigger-picture attempt to right the ship. Simply, the deal was much less about shipping out, and getting fair value for, a disgruntled Porzingis, then it is about getting out from under some of the some bad contracts they’ve dished out in recent years. It’s the Knicks way!
After ditching the Hardaway and Lee contracts (a potentially underrated act of salary shedding) and potentially flipping DeAndre Jordan and/or Wesley Matthews, the Knicks will have approximately $76 million to spend in free agents this summer. Think about that number! It’s all about clearing the necessary cap space for not one, but potentially TWO max free agent guys this summer (let’s be real, they’re going after the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving combination). If they completely luck out and land the #1 overall pick (or even Top 3) in June’s draft to get their hands on Duke’s Zion Williamson or R.J. Barrett, that’s even more firepower to lure those two legitimate guys to the biggest sports market in the world. So yes, the Knicks did “lose” Porzingis, but ultimately fulfilled their goal with the move. I’m a fan of what they did. They completely blew it up (again), but they’ve never had THIS much cap space to make significant offers to significant players.
Colin Cowherd is completely on the money here. Knicks fans should be absolutely thrilled by these developments. Unless of course, they screw up and strike out again, which might actually have the higher probability. But personally, I think “best friends” KD and Kyrie (who’s in the midst of his own commitment issues with the Celtics), are coming to The Garden.
For the Mavericks, the deal is slightly more simple in nature. Mark Cuban wanted to acquire players who could both help them build for the future and potentially win this season (Porzingis can become a restricted free agent after next season, but is already preparing to inform the team that his intent is to sign the qualifying offer in restricted free agency this summer) and build a more formidable core for seasons beyond. With fellow Euro-bred and Rookie of the Year-to-be Luka Doncic setting the league on fire, the pairing with Porzingis is a dream scenario (especially if he bounces back to full strength following his major injury). And don’t forget about the ageless Dirk Nowitzki there as the ultimate mentor.
Adding Hardaway Jr. (good young scorer on a bad contract) gives the Mavs some shooting and another scoring wing to pair with Harrison Barnes. After that, the roster looks pretty depleted, but currently sitting 24–28 (12th in the Western Conference and only 3 games out of a playoff spot), the belief might just be that they can refresh the roster enough to string together some additional wins to sneak in the playoffs. Just for fun, even. If that doesn’t happen, they’ve set themselves up with a couple of young, exciting cornerstones for at least next season and potentially longer term.
There are conditions for both the Mavericks (that Porzingis gets healthy and they can eventually sign him to a lengthy deal) and Knicks (that management doesn’t whiff in the offseason, signing two inferior free agents instead of KD and Kyrie, while falling out of luck in June’s draft), but overall, the bottom line is that this deal worked for both sides, as one-sided as it may appear on the surface. The hapless Knicks just created a whole PILE of cap space, while Mark Cuban and the Mavericks may have just saved their season (and beyond).
