After Carmelo Anthony finally departed New York after prolonged trade drama, a lot was made of the current tumultuous state of the Knicks franchise. They’ve been a team marred in dysfunction these last few years and can’t seem to find a winning formula to curve their losing ways.
Now spearheaded by Latvian 7-footer Kristaps Porzingis, the Knicks look ahead at a future littered with uncertainty. Now in his third professional year, Porzingis will be eligible for a rookie maximum extension at seasons end in approximately 9 months but a deal being agreed to is far from a guarantee.
According to Stefan Bondy of NY Daily News, Porzingis has made it clear that he still needs to see some changes from the Knicks prior to making a decision about his future:
There remains a chasm that requires bridging after last season’s dysfunctional plummet. Asked if he still needs to see changes from the Knicks before committing long term, Porzingis told the Daily News, “Yeah.”
The 22-year-old then paused, smiling, before realizing it’s best not to air the issues.
“Yeah. That’s it.”
For Kristaps Porzingis, it’s vital that he sees some positive signs out of the Knicks before he commits to what is right now a shaky franchise. At just 22-years-old, Porzingis is one of the most exciting young prospects in all of basketball, as his 7’3″ frame and sweet outside stroke give him a unique offensive game many can’t replicate.
We saw two other extremely talented players ink their maximum rookie extension just this past summer in Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins, a path the Knicks hope Porzingis follows.
There had already been turmoil between Porzingis and this Knicks front office as was evident earlier this summer when he elected to skip the Knicks’ exit meeting at seasons end. Combine that with the shipping away of one of his closest friends in Carmelo Anthony and it’s understandable why Porzingis is hesitant about his future.
For the Knicks’ sake, you hope that they can make some strides in the right direction and are able to retain their franchise centerpiece. Losing a player of Porzingis’ caliber at such a young age would be a devastating blow to a team currently looking for any signs of hope.
