There is no exception to who New York Knicks president Phil Jackson might trade, and that means no holds barred on star forward Kristaps Porzingis, who has become the latest target of the Boston Celtics, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
The Celtics possess the No. 3 pick this year and could be willing to dangle it in order to address their needs at forward.
The Knicks have been reportedly flooded with interest from teams around the league after Jackson made it known that the team wouldn't rule out moving the 21-year-old unicorn if the right offer came along.
New York has taken a deep look at Lauri Markkanen, a 7-foot tall player from Finland who plays at power forward, just like Porzingis — aiming to potentially draft him with the eighth overall selection in this year's NBA Draft.
The relationship between the franchise and the Latvian international is considered “severely strained” at this point after Porzingis bailed in a meeting with Jackson and general manager Steve Mills following the end of the regular season.
Janis Porzingis, his brother, released a statement, saying he wanted to stay in New York and that if he were to be traded, it would be on his own accord. Janis and his brother's agent, Andy Miller, met with Jackson attempting to iron out their issues — a plan which hasn't done much as neither the Knicks coaching staff nor the front office have been in touch with the star.
The Knicks also did not renew the contract of Porzingis' favorite assistant coach, Josh Longstaff, who traveled with him to Latvia last offseason and wasn't with him this year after ending his relationship with the franchise.
Amid the complete chaos in the organization, Jackson's hope is to package Porzingis with fellow star Carmelo Anthony, but the latter's market has greatly diminished over time, which could prove a tough trade to pull off.
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