There’s been a lot of commotion around the New York Knicks, lately. Most of that has stemmed from team president Phil Jackson publicly hoping star forward Carmelo Anthony will waive his no-trade clause. But that ongoing issue has leaked into other facets of the team, including the future of Kristaps Porzingis.
Porzingis is the only young, foundational piece on the Knicks but has become somewhat forgotten over the huge, embarrassing storylines. But that’s definitely taken a toll on him. First, he skipped exit interviews without a given reason. Then he said he was going back home to Latvia but took pictures of himself at Central Park. It was a strange time.
Following a recent tweet-and-delete procedure from the young center, Porzingis’ brother confirmed that the soon-to-be third-year pro still wants to be with the Knicks. But he also confirmed that that is contingent on how the Knicks treat him.
Following via Ian Begley of ESPN:
“Kris wants to stay in New York; he feels at home there. There is no question about it. The only thing he wants is for the Knicks to create an environment where he can develop and grow as a player and win,” Janis Porzingis said in an interview with ESPN. “If he were traded, he would play out his contract and head into free agency, where he can choose his own destiny.”
Few things here:
Porzingis’ brother works for the agency that represents him so that last sentence seems like a pretty obvious leverage ploy to make other teams wary of trading for him. But the issue is that even if he were to be traded, Porzingis would be restricted free agent once his contract runs out; so, his incumbent team could match any offer sheet for him. The only way that that threat works is if Porzingis signs a qualifying offer with said team, plays at under-market value for a year, then hits unrestricted free agency a year later. That’s a bold strategy that very few players attempt.
As for the expectations for the Knicks, Porzingis really isn’t asking for much. He needs the team to give him more responsibility so he can grow as a player and officially become the face of the franchise. Whether that’s possible with Melo still on the team is a fair question, but the Knicks would be wise to move in that direction with or without Anthony.
