New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale spoke to reporters on Friday for the first time since the franchise traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks. Fizdale said he had a great conversation with Porzingis after the trade was completed, but also admitted that he felt the 7-footer was starting to disengage from the organization.
The Knicks traded Porzingis to the Mavs for DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr., and multiple draft picks.
David Fizdale said he had a ‘great conversation’ with Kristaps Porzingis after the trade. They laughed about never having a chance to work together and he said they left things on good terms.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) February 1, 2019
David Fizdale said he also felt Kristaps Porzingis started to disengage from the franchise recently, something that Steve Mills and Scott Perry mentioned on Thursday. He said he appreciated Kristaps Porzingis being up front with his desire to be with another team.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) February 1, 2019
David Fizdale visited Kristaps Porzingis in Latvia last summer in an attempt to get to know KP better. The visit reportedly went great and the Knicks' brass was happy with how things went.
Everyone around the league knew New York was going to be awful this season, even Porzingis. But it looks like the star power forward didn't have faith in the Knicks' brain trust to turn the franchise into a winner. As a result, Porzingis is now gone from the Big Apple and will continue his NBA career with the Mavs.
Knicks president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry said the trade had to be done because they didn't want a player on the team who didn't want to be there. Porzingis becomes a restricted free agent in the offseason.