For the Knicks organization and its fans, letting go of Carmelo Anthony became more possible, and acceptable, due to the rise of phenom Kristaps Porzingis.
Destroying all critiques after the initial eye test, the Latvian unicorn displayed his unique combination of length and skill that instantly enamoured NBA fans everywhere. Two years after, Porzingis became the future of New York’s beloved Knicks to many.
However, that didn’t seem to be in the bag as the season unfolded for the Knicks, with the tipping point being Porzingis’ decision to skip his exit interview schedule with team president Phil Jackson.
As such, this sent a major signal to other teams. They smell blood and they’re not going to let any stones unturned when given even a slight opportunity in potentially prying away Kristaps Porzingis from the team that drafted him.
Per ESPN’s Ian Begley:
“Several teams reached out to the New York Knicks to talk about possible trades for Kristaps Porzingis in the days after he skipped his exit meeting with team president Phil Jackson and general manager Steve Mills, league sources told ESPN.”
Porzingis has already aired to the public how disappointed he is with the situation in New York, and the offseason isn’t looking very promising at this point.
It is safe to say that he still has two more years in a Knicks jersey before becoming a restricted free agent. But being the generational talent that he appears to be, those two years could be just enough for teams to roll the dice on Kristaps Porzingis by making an offer New York can’t refuse.
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