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Just before the trade deadline, the New York Knicks traded big man Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks, ending Porzingis' short reign as The Unicorn in the Big Apple.
But before the Knicks ultimately dealt Porzingis in February, they already had plans of trading him last June.
According to Zach Lowe of ESPN, New York approached the Sacramento Kings about a Porzingis trade at draft time last summer, asking for young point guard De'Aaron Fox in return.
The Knicks were ultimately rebuffed, but the rumor makes sense, seeing as how the Knicks attempted to pry Fox away from the Kings yet again this season before finally trading Porzingis to the Mavericks.
In a vacuum, Porzingis is probably a better player than Fox, but the game is not played in a vacuum.
Porzingis has had a lot of injury issues over the course of his first four seasons in the league, and right now, he is still sidelined while recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last February.
Fox, meanwhile, has been able to stay healthy and has shown marked improvement in his second year in the league, catapulting Sacramento from a cellar dweller to a legitimate playoff contender in the Western Conference.
Based on Fox's progression this season, you can see why the Kings would be bullish on him, and taking into account Porzingis' checkered health history, you can also understand why Sacramento was bearish on trading for the center.
On the year overall, Fox is averaging 17.4 points, 7.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.
