In an absolutely stunning, completely unexpected series of events. all-star Kristaps Porzingis was traded to the Dallas Mavericks along with Courtney Lee and Tim Hardaway Jr. for DeAndre Jordan, Dennis Smith Jr., and Wesley Matthews along with a first round pick.. Porzingis will not be able to play for the Mavericks yet, as he still is nursing a torn ACL that he suffered last February.
Thursday morning, Kristaps' name was definitely not the star Power Forward people wanted to trade for. However, it was reported that Porzingis had a meeting with the Knicks brass regarding the future. The Latvian expressed concern about the future, as the Knicks sit at 10-40, dead last in the entire league. He said that he prefers to be traded, rather than continue on the lowly Knicks team. Porzingis apparently had been feuding with the organization since his injury, and that Thursday was the culmination of it.
As to who won this trade, it was actually pretty even for both sides. At first glance, the Mavs got all the benefits. They have a replacement for Dirk Nowitzki, and have an extremely bright future centered around Porzingis and rookie phenom Luka Doncic. The Mavericks are in a good position to perhaps land another big name player this summer, which would establish them as legitimate title contenders.
The trade was also extremely good for the Knicks. They found a way to get even worse then they already are, and seem set to beat the Phoenix Suns in the tank-a-thon for Zion. The Knicks are now in position to sign two max contract free agents too. With superstars like Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, and Kyrie Irving set to test free agency waters, New York is in a position to make a big move.
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