The New York Knicks recently traded away Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee, and Trey Burke to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, and two future first-round picks. I decided to analyze this blockbuster trade from both teams’ perspectives and decide who got the better end of the deal.
New York Knicks:
The Knicks decision to trade away Porzingis is a long-term move. The biggest takeaway from this trade is that New York cleared up enough cap space to sign two max-caliber free agents this upcoming summer. With rumors surrounding Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Jimmy Butler, there’s definitely a good chance that the Knicks can use their big-city lure to convince a star to sign there. This summer will be the biggest and most stressful that the Knicks have had in a while. If they are able to sign a star-caliber player, then the Knicks might have just made the best trade in team history. But if they don’t sign a good player, then they might have just restarted their rebuilding process for many years to come.
Besides the cap space, the Knicks actually got some good pieces to bolster their rebuilding process. Dennis Smith Jr. is an explosive and talented point guard who has the real potential to develop into an All-Star. The Knicks actually passed on him in the 2017 Draft, deciding instead to take French guard Frank Ntilikina. At only 21 years old, Smith Jr. has a real chance to become the starting point guard for New York in both the short and long-term. Additionally, New York also acquired two future first round picks. These picks combined with Smith Jr.’s potential and the young core of New York provide the Knicks with a solid safety net if free agency doesn’t work in their favor.
The Knicks needed to trade away Kristaps Porzingis. It was just a question of when. Kristaps unhappiness in the Big Apple has been long documented ever since Phil Jackson was the team’s president, and he was surely going to leave New York in free agency in the near future. While many New Yorkers are up in arms about this trade, it gives the team the flexibility to pursue star-level free agents this summer while boosting their young core and giving them more assets for a rebuild if necessary. By the start of next season, I could easily see the Knicks sporting a team with Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, Dennis Smith Jr., Kevin Knox, and Zion Williamson.
Grade: B+
Dallas Mavericks:
Lots of analysts think that the Mavs easily won this trade. But I’m not convinced. To me, this trade was extremely risky for Dallas. Sure, if Porzingis can return to his All-Star form and re-signs with Dallas long-term, then the Mavs have just solidified their future with two potential superstars in Kristaps and Luka Doncic. But that’s only IF Porzingis can return to his former self. And that’s a big IF that seemingly nobody is talking about.
Porzingis is 7′ 3″ tall and is currently recovering from a torn ACL which occurred last season. Kristaps isn’t going to play this season and will enter next season not having played professional basketball in over a year and a half. I believe that this ACL injury could have the same effect on Porzingis that Derrick Rose’s ankle injuries had on him, and there’s a real possibility that Porzingis will return as a shell of his former self or at least be extremely injury prone for the rest of his career. Porzingis is also extremely skinny. Weighing only 240 lbs, Porzingis weighs less than 6′ 8″ Jabari Parker, who is 7 inches shorter than Kristaps. With his height and thinness, there’s definitely a chance that his knee injury is a career ruiner. If this injury has the effect on Kristaps that I think it might, the Mavs have just traded away a player with All-Star potential in Dennis Smith Jr., they acquired massively overpriced contracts in the form of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee, and they have given away two future first round picks in addition to the pick they already owe Atlanta for the Luka Doncic trade.
Porzingis is definitely a player with All-NBA potential, would pair perfectly with Luka’s style of play, and could form a dynamic duo of a championship contending team, but the worst case scenario is far more extreme, and more likely, than any potential benefit. Owing to Kristaps’s injury and uncertainty whether he will even stay in Dallas long-term, there’s definitely a chance that the Mavs just traded away their future for a glorified version of Luke Babbitt.
Grade: B-
Winner: New York Knicks