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Forward Kristaps Porzingis has been traded by the New York Knicks to the Dallas Mavericks, as reported by Marc Stein.
Dallas will also receive Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee, who are owed considerable money.
The Knicks will receive a future first-round pick, along with DeAndre Jordan and Wes Matthews‘ expiring contracts, per Stein.
New York now have two max contracts slots for the coming offseason when Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler and Kemba Walker could all be free agents.
Jordan and Matthews will become free agents at the end of the campaign when the Knicks will likely have a top-three draft pick. New York are one of the favourites for the number one overall pick. This is a complete overhaul of the roster for the Knicks, who currently have the NBA’s worst record. Kevin Knox and Smith are the future of the team, but this move makes them completely dependent on the draft lottery and hitting a home run (or two) in free agency.
Jordan’s situation is an interesting subplot. He tried to sign with Dallas several offseasons ago, but the deal never went through. He finally got his move to the Mavericks last summer and has now been traded to New York.
It’s no secret that Dallas have been looking to move Smith – they will be delighted to get a generational talent like Porzingis in the deal. Porzingis will pair with Luka Doncic to make a formidable duo in Texas. Hardaway provides shooting, he is averaging just under 20 points per game this season.
There will be plenty more on this story. The trade has happened very quickly after the news broke that Porzingis wanted to leave Madison Square Garden, and many will wonder why the Knicks were in such a rush to make a deal with a week left until the trade deadline.
