Kristaps Porzingis probably has a lot more to say about his sudden NBA career change.
The 23-year old forward used social media Thursday to react to the trade, which sent him from the New York Knicks to the Dallas Mavericks. Initial reports claim the Knicks dealt Porzingis following a short meeting in which he expressed to team officials his frustration over the direction of the franchise.
The Knicks acquired two future first-round picks, talented point guard Dennis Smith Jr. and veterans Wesley Matthews and DeAndre Jordan in exchange for Porzingis, their 2015 first-round draft pick who’ll likely become a restricted free agent this summer.
Porzingis initially said on Instagram “the truth will come out:),” according to ESPN’s Ian Begley. Porzingis deleted the story shortly thereafter.
He used Twitter hours later to post a GIF of he and new teammate Luka Doncic sharing a laugh and a handshake. Doncic, the 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year Award favorite, is expected to form a dynamic partnership with Porzingis once the big man fully recovers from the ACL injury he suffered last February.
He delivered his expected farewell tweet a couple of hours after his first permanent social media post, thanking Knicks fans for supporting him over the last three-plus years.
“New York will always have a special place in my heart,” he wrote. “Grateful for everybody who made this journey so special for my family and I.”
Porzingis’ emergence in Dallas and the Knicks’ reported “grand plan” will be must-follow NBA storylines in the coming months. Now probably isn’t the best time for him to comment at length about his trade, so NBA fans must accept what he already has said for now.
