The New York Knicks declined to sign All-Star power forward Kristaps Porzingis to a rookie extension ahead of Monday's 6 p.m.(ET) deadline, according to ESPN's Ian Begley. Porzingis will now become a restricted free agent next summer, meaning New York will have the chance to match any offer sheet that their Latvian superstar signs.
New York, however, will save $10 million in cap space next summer with this move, per Begley.
According to the ESPN report, declining Porzingis' extension is a step towards reducing the Knicks' salary commitment in the 2018-19 season, which puts the franchise in a good position to pursue a max contract free agent next summer. Already having been linked with Kyrie Irving throughout the offseason, New York can also now join the chase for Jimmy Butler or Kevin Durant who were reportedly interested in signing with the team.
This move doesn't mean that the Knicks have no plans of retaining Porzingis, though. In fact, per Begley, New York is looking to pair a max contract free agent “around a young core headlined by Porzingis.”
Porzingis burst onto the scene early in New York as an uber-athletic 7-foot-3 player with a bevy of offensive moves and elite shot-blocking ability.
He played in only 48 games last season, no thanks to a torn ACL, but he managed to put up averages of 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks while shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from 3-point range. He has averaged 17.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game in his career while shooting 43.7 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from beyond the arc over the course of his three-year career.
For those that may wonder if there's any schism between Porzingis' camp and the Knicks, particularly after he skipped out on his exit meeting with the team in 2017, head coach David Fizdale doesn't believe there's any disconnection between the two parties.
“I'm always looking at it from a connection standpoint. And there is nothing that's told me that there's any disconnection,” Fizdale said. “He's having fun with these guys, he's engaging with me, with the staff. I just see a teammate out there, I see a guy that's just trying to contribute in any way he can. And to me that says (he's) a guy that's engaged and locked in.”
As they say, it's a business. The Knicks just made a business decision.
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