For a franchise whose identity has been warped by chaos, a display of sheer competence in trading Kristaps Porzingis is actually jarring.
Within minutes of reports surfacing that Kristaps Porzingis wanted out of New York, the Knicks traded him and a trio of high-priced vets to Dallas for Dennis Smith, Jr. the expiring contracts of DeAndre Jordan and Wes Matthews and two first-round picks (unprotected in 2021 and protected in 2023.) Even by the bonkers standards of the NBA trade season, this was a shock to the system.
Porzingis, who has spent the year recovering from a torn ACL, is exactly the kind of young star teams cripple themselves trying to acquire. A few months shy of hitting restricted free agency, Porzingis had been the franchise star in waiting in New York. Yet, bad blood that began under the previous regime of Phil Jacksonpoisoned what should have been a lifelong love affair.
The initial reaction, once the shock wore off, was that the Knicks really think they have a chance at signing Kevin Durant this summer. And maybe Kyrie Irving, too.
While this move seems so very Knicks to trade away a promising young player for a roll of the free agent dice, there’s clearly a method to their madness. Perhaps that’s the biggest shock of all.
There’s irony in acquiring Smith, Jr. a point guard they passed on two years ago in favor of the underwhelming Frank Ntilikina when they were run by Jackson. The Knicks also traded away Courtney Lee and Tim Hardaway Jr., veterans with big contracts who were placing an undue burden on New York’s cap sheet.
Both Lee and Hardaway, Jr. were signed before Scott Perry took over basketball operations. Indeed, the contract for THJR was agreed to mere days before Perry assumed control.
For the last year and a half, Perry has been diligently undoing the messes that were left behind when he took over the job. Leaving aside your view of the KP trade for a moment, Perry has done an excellent job of housecleaning.
Rather than jump in on whatever players happened to be available (like Eric Bledsoe), Perry loaded up on failed lottery picks with cheap contracts. Some of whom have actually played fairly well, like Noah Vonleh and Emmanuel Mudiay. Most importantly, they haven’t played that well.
Under Perry, the Knicks have lost and done so convincingly. They are one of the small handful of teams with a solid chance of winning the lottery in a year when a mega prospect like Zion Williamson is expected to be the first pick in the draft.
The Knicks are not only tanking properly for the first time since Patrick Ewing was a Hoya, they’ve cleared enough cap space to afford two maximum free agents this summer. This is all pro-forma stuff for any general manager trying to execute a massive rebuilding job, but it’s pretty rare for the Knicks who have spent decades messing up even the most basic transactions.
The endgame for Perry and the Knicks really does appear to be trying to sign Durant in free agency this summer. Scoff if you want, but the indications that KD is bound for the Big Apple have been out in the open since before the season began. As are the rumors that Irving’s verbal promise to re-sign with the Celtics may not be as solid as previously believed.
Perry has also put the Knicks in position to swing a blockbuster trade for Anthony Davis depending on what happens with the lottery. Even if they don’t get the top pick, the Knicks are armed with draft choices, cap flexibility, and young talent for the first time in forever.
For a franchise whose identity has been warped by chaos, the sheer competence of actually executing a rebuilding strategy is jarring. In any context, New York has to be seen as a viable threat to steal AD from the clutches of both Los Angeles and Boston.
This is all pretty wild and fanciful, like the fever dream of some late-night caller to WFAN. Maybe this all ends with Kemba Walker, Tobias Harris, and a Duke guy not named Zion. (An outcome that wouldn’t be that terrible, by the way.)
If it were any other team, we’d be talking about how bold Perry’s vision is for the future of his team. Because it’s the Knicks, we need to tread carefully. Maybe, just maybe, the Knicks finally know what they’re doing. That would be the real stunner.