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The New York Knicks are apparently pushing all of their chips in for 2019 free agency.
The New York Times‘ Marc Stein reported Thursday the Knicks are close to a deal that would send Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks. According to Stein, New York would package Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee with Porzingis and receive Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan and Wes Matthews from Dallas.
Jordan and Matthews have expiring contracts, leading many to assume the Knicks are gearing up to create as much salary-cap space as possible this summer and make Kevin Durant the crown jewel of their free-agency pursuit.
Chris Mannix @SIChrisMannix
Big picture: The Knicks have to be convinced they are going to land Kevin Durant this summer … and are clearing the room so KD can sell someone on playing with him.
Brian Windhorst @WindhorstESPN
The Knicks are on way toward creating 2 max salary slots for next summer. When today started they didn’t even have space for 1. They are preparing to swing big.
Hardaway and Lee will combine to make $30.9 million next season. Porzingis will be a restricted free agent and is likely to see a significant raise from his $5.7 million salary, which is another cost the Knicks no longer must consider.
ESPN.com’s Bobby Marks noted the Knicks could have $74.6 million in cap space as a result of the proposed trade.
According to ESPN.com’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Zach Lowe, Ramona Shelburne and Ian Begley, Porzingis met with Knicks officials Thursday and “expressed concerns on the state of the franchise and his future with the organization,” leaving team brass to believe he wanted out.
New York’s calculus with this trade is clear, but the franchise is taking a massive risk.
Porzingis still hasn’t returned from a torn ACL suffered last February, and it’s unclear whether he can pick up where he left off in 2017-18, when he averaged 22.7 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 39.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Still, he’ll only turn 24 in August, and the Knicks had a lot of leverage because of his restricted free agency. If they were dead set on trading him now, surely they could’ve received more than Smith and cap relief.
The risk in going all-in for Durant is obvious.
Although New York is one of the biggest media markets in the country, the Knicks have been a mess both on the court and behind the scenes. Even if Durant values the commercial benefits playing in the Big Apple can provide, the Knicks are a hard sell for a star of his caliber.
Should New York strike out with Durant and another free agent, it will have sacrificed one of its best long-term assets for nothing, setting the team back years.
from Update News Topic http://bit.ly/2RyHkq4
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