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Report: Knicks believe Kristaps Porzingis wants to be traded

By Dan FeldmanJan 31, 2019, 3:08 PM EST
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Kristaps Porzingis told the Knicks he’s concerned about their losing, direction and culture.

Just how concerned is he?

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:

If the Knicks trade Kristaps Porzingis for Anthony Davis and Davis pledges to re-sign, that’d be great for New York.

Otherwise…

Porzingis is a good young player. His torn ACL causes concern, but his future still looks bright. He’s the type of player many teams would like to build around – the type of player who makes the Knicks more attractive to free agents like Kevin Durant.

That said, there’s nothing inherently wrong with trading him. Maybe the Knicks could get value for him.

But they’d be operating from a weak position. Everyone now knows Porzingis wants out, and he’s currently injured. It seems unlikely New York would find a beneficial trade in that circumstance.

Would the Knicks accommodate him, anyway? That could head off a brewing chemistry problem. But New York is in the driver’s seat unless Porzingis is willing to take a huge risk. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer. He could become an unrestricted free agent in 2020, but that would require taking a $4,485,665 qualifying offer. Even if he must sign an offer sheet to get his max, that projects to be worth $117 million over four years.

So, there’s big difference between Porzingis wanting to be traded and Porzingis actually getting traded. But that gap could be shrinking.

Report: Knicks trading Kristaps Porzingis to Mavericks, opening a projected $73 million in cap space next summer

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By Dan FeldmanJan 31, 2019, 4:04 PM EST
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The Knicks are closing an unhappy Kristaps Porzingis era and opening the door to a tantalizing unknown that could include Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving or maybe even both.

Marc Stein of The New York Times:

The Knicks unloading Tim Hardaway Jr. (due $37,125,000 over the next two years) and Courtney Lee (due $12,759,670 next season) is huge. New York now projects to have about $73 million in cap space this summer – enough for two max slots, depending on the players’ experience level. The possibility of landing star free agents like Durant and Irving is electrifying.

So is the Luka Doncic-Kristaps Porzingis pairing the Mavericks just formed. Those two budding stars give Dallas a more certain pathway upward. That is such a fun young core.

The Knicks’ future is far more unknown. They’re left with Dennis Smith Jr. (who maybe should have been in New York all along), Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina and all that cap space. Capitalizing on that cap room is essential to justifying losing a young star like Porzingis. But cap spaces goes further in New York. This is a more-logical risk there.

In the meantime, DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews have little use on the tanking Knicks. Those two veterans could get flipped to winners before the deadline or, failing that, bought out. If it looks as if they’ll get bought out, that could stall trade talks across the league. It did not seem players so productive would be available post-buyout this season, and teams would generally prefer those direct signings to surrendering assets in a trade.

Report: Lakers, Pelicans talking Anthony Davis trade

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By Dan FeldmanJan 31, 2019, 2:47 PM EST
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The report the Pelicans won’t answer the Lakers’ calls about an Anthony Davis trade?

It was outdated, at best.

Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times:

The Lakers have the assets – including Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Ivica Zubac and future first-round picks – to make a tempting offer for Davis now. The Celtics have better assets, but they effectively can’t trade for Davis until the offseason. So, the Lakers must make New Orleans an offer that trumps the risk of waiting for Boston.

The Lakers and Pelicans talking is a good start toward finding a deal.

Threatening not to trade for Davis in the summer is a particularly interesting tactic by the Lakers. The assumption was their trade offer would be similar now and in July. But if that’s not the case, it could push New Orleans to act now.

Of course, the Lakers could just be bluffing. It’s in their best interest to make New Orleans believe their best offer is coming now. They don’t want to compete with Boston, and they want Davis for this year’s playoff run.

Then again, maybe the Lakers are serious about dropping from the Davis sweepstakes next summer. They would have already missed out on him helping this year. At that point, there’d be more logic in waiting to sign him directly in 2020 free agency, though that would also mean him not helping during the 2020 playoff run.

There’s so much posturing on each side. But at least the Lakers and Pelicans are doing it directly, not just through the media.

Report: Kristaps Porzingis tells Knicks he’s concerned with their losing, direction, culture

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By Dan FeldmanJan 31, 2019, 2:02 PM EST
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The Knicks didn’t give Kristaps Porzingis a contract extension last summer. They’re reportedly refusing to play him this season, even if he recovers from a torn ACL. They’re an NBA-worst 10-40 and tanking toward a high draft pick.

All that might be logical for building the best team long-term.

It also has consequences.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:

Former Knicks president Phil Jackson and former Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek previously alienated Porzingis. Though New York fired Jackson and Hornacek and professed commitment to Porzingis, bitterness might still linger. Porzingis’ name coming up in Anthony Davis trade rumors probably doesn’t inspire a bond with the new regime.

I’m just not sure what Porzingis will do about it.

He’ll be a restricted free agent next summer, meaning the Knicks can match any offer sheet he receives. He could sign a $4,485,665 qualifying offer to become an unrestricted free agent in 2020, but that’d be a huge risk – especially for someone with his injury history.

Even if the Knicks won’t offer a fully guaranteed max contract that projects to be worth $158 million over five years, Porzingis could surely command a max offer sheet that projects to be worth $117 million over four year elsewhere. New York would likely match that, keeping Porzingis there long-term.

So, it’s in his best interest to find common ground with the Knicks. Or express so much unhappiness they want to move him, maybe for Davis.

Report: Anthony Davis plans to play for Pelicans before trade deadline

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By Dan FeldmanJan 31, 2019, 12:50 PM EST
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The Pelicans are reportedly considering shutting down Anthony Davis for the rest of the season if they don’t trade him.

Davis – who’s out with a finger injury that should heal soon – apparently has other ideas.

Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe of ESPN:

Davis does plan to play for the Pelicans again before trade deadline in a week, league sources said. Davis wants to play in the NBA All-Star Game in mid-February

I hope Davis plays. He’s having a great season. It’s fun to watch him.

But this is probably ultimately the Pelicans’ call. They have a right to play or not play anyone on their team (unless the league steps in, which I wouldn’t rule out). The best time to trade Davis might be next summer, when the Celtics can get seriously involved. In the meantime, there’s some logic to ensuring Davis doesn’t get hurt and tanking.

It’d be a shame, though. The league is more enjoyable with Davis on the court.

If he gets his way, though, it’ll be extra work for the Pelicans re-editing their intro video.