Kristaps Porzingis Trade Rumors: New York Knicks Still Looking To Move Big Man?
Kristaps Porzingis trade rumors may catch New York Knicks fans off guard. Despite moving on from Phil Jackson, the Knicks may deal Porzingis during the NBA offseason in order to move the franchise in a new direction. A report by the New York Daily News came out on Sunday (July 2) which states that not all of the behind-the-scenes issues between Porzingis and the franchise have been solved by the departure of Jackson. Does this predict that Porzingis has played his last game for the Knicks?
“[Jeff] Hornacek’s relationship with Porzingis isn’t great, despite what the coach now says. And it certainly didn’t improve once Porzingis’ favorite assistant coach, Josh Longstaff, was fired. Hornacek has a lot of work to do to regain Porzingis’ trust. And it’s a little too late in the game to say that the skipped exit meeting wasn’t a big deal?”
So what happens next? New York Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek has to figure out a way to fix his personal relationship with Kristaps Porzingis as well as the negative feelings the big man has developed for the franchise. Failing to do so will lead to only one of two outcomes. Either Jeff Hornacek is going to get fired or the Knicks are going to trade Kristaps Porzingis. Even if he is able to calm the waters, it’s still possible that both of those conclusions come to pass within the next few months.
work or get outworked pic.twitter.com/YAxWr8tvLF
— Kristaps Porzingis (@kporzee) June 27, 2017
It’s important to point out that none of these NBA trade rumors have come directly from things that Porzingis has stated. He isn’t asking for a trade (yet) and isn’t indicating that he won’t re-sign with the New York Knicks when his current deal comes to an end. But when he skipped the exit interview with Knicks team president Phil Jackson and coach Jeff Hornacek, it sent up a lot of red flags with how he may be viewing the situation. Porzingis also didn’t like it when Jackson spoke negatively about teammate Carmelo Anthony when giving interviews last season.
Jeff Hornacek: Kristaps Porzingis is ready to be focal point of offense https://t.co/AhVuMXM405
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) July 1, 2017
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the front office of the New York Knicks is working hard to make moves this NBA offseason. The team has been in negotiations about possible Carmelo Anthony trades and has also contacted point guard Rajon Rondo about possibly signing with them. The Knicks have also expressed interest in point guards Darren Collison, George Hill, and Michael Carter-Williams since free agency began.
It’s very clear that the Knicks are looking to get younger and completely rebuild a roster that many NBA analysts felt Phil Jackson had destroyed. It’s going to be a tough job for his replacement (Steve Mills) and it’s unclear how much room he has to work with under team owner James Dolan. Would Mills really trade the two best players on the roster in order to completely rebuild? That thought has GMs around the league paying close attention to all Kristaps Porzingis trade rumors, with many already calling Mills about the asking price.
[Featured Image by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images]
