Everyone’s ears just perked up with Kristaps Porzingis trade rumors flying around.
New York Knicks president Phil Jackson is weighing the possibility of trading Porzingis, who has evolved into one of the NBA’s more intriguing players since being selected fourth overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports’ The Vertical reported Tuesday, citing league sources.
The idea of the Knicks trading Porzingis has inspired a frenzy of suitors across the NBA, according to Wojnarowski, who added that Jackson had a dinner meeting with Arizona forward Lauri Markkanen on Monday night in New York. The Knicks own the No. 8 pick in Thursday night’s draft and possibly could pick Markkanen, a 7-footer who can shoot, to replace Porzingis.
League sources told Wojnarowski that the Knicks are poised to begin listening to rival teams’ pitches on potential Porzingis deals. Sources confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday that the Knicks have fielded several calls in recent days from teams interested in trading for the 21-year-old big man.
Trading Porzingis would be a bold move by the Knicks, as the 7-foot-3 Latvian is wildly popular in the Big Apple. Porzingis skipped his season-ending exit interview with the team, though, and the Knicks haven’t made an attempt to reach or visit him in Europe this summer, league sources told The Vertical.
We’ll see if this apparent iciness paves the way for a blockbuster, although it should be noted that sources told Wojnarowski that Porzingis remains determined to play for the Knicks and see his tenure through to success.
Thumbnail photo via Adam Hunger/USA TODAY Sports Images
