Right after being sent to the Dallas Mavericks, Kristaps Porzingis had a special message addressed to the city of New York.

Via Instagram, Porzingis posted a photo of himself captioned with a message:

“New York will always have a special place in my heart.
Grateful for everybody who made this journey so special for my family and I.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BtUxz98nQjm/

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Porzingis came to the NBA as the fourth overall pick by the Knicks in the 2015 NBA Draft. Many were disappointed with the team's decision, especially Phil Jackson who was then the team's president of basketball operations.

But right off the bat, the Latvian proved everyone wrong. He had a spectacular rookie campaign and ended up in the NBA All-Rookie First Team. He was nicknamed the Unicorn as he possesses a unique blend of a 7-foot-3 figure with an innate shooting touch from the outside. This playstyle has brought about comparisons with Dirk Nowitzki — who'll now be his teammate in Dallas.

In his third year in the league, Porzingis was selected to the All-Star game. It established him as a bonafide basketball star and was tagged as the future of the Knicks. But on February 6, 2018, his rise to stardom was seemingly cut short after tearing his left ACL.

He hasn't played a single game since. There are no clear updates as to when the 23-year-old will return back to action. Mavericks fans are definitely excited how he'll coexist with Luka Doncic. New York, for their part, might have lost Porzingis but earned a good chance at landing an elite player in the offseason.