By all accounts, Carmelo Anthony’s days in New York are numbered. But the heir apparent to Anthony’s throne as the face of the franchise hopes the 33-year-old stays to help turn things around with the Knicks.
Kristaps Porzingis, the Knicks’ first-round pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, has become a superstar during his first two seasons in New York and has learned a lot from Anthony during their brief time together.
“He’s an All-Star, an incredible player and I’ve learned so much from him,” Porzingis said, per NBA.com’s Shaun Powell. “There’s still so much for me to learn from him. I would love to have him around and keep playing alongside him. But it s what it is. It’s a business. If it ends, well … I don’t know, it’s out of my hands. I’m really thankful for these couple of years I’ve been with him, just seeing how he works during the summer. It proves he wants to win and he wants to be great. I’m sure he’ll make the right decision for himself.”
Both Anthony and Porzingis reportedly were on the trading block this summer, but now it appears that only Anthony will be leaving town, with the Houston Rockets being his preferred destination.
The Knicks franchise has undergone sweeping changes since the 20-year-old Latvian star was drafted, but Porzinigis is content being in “The Big Apple,” as long as the Knicks are headed in the right direction.
“So far it’s been tough in New York, but my journey is only beginning and I hope to stay there my whole career, so as a city we can have some fun and win some games and do something big,” Porzingis said. “For me, it’s now home.”
The Knicks look like they will enter a full rebuild around Porzinigis and 2017 first-round pick Frank Ntilikina once Anthony is dealt. And while the Knicks might entertain the thought of trading for Cleveland Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving, they reportedly have no intention of including Porzingis in any deal for All-Star point guard.
Thumbnail photo via Adam Hunger/USA TODAY Sports Images
