Mavs get Porzingis, send Smith, two 1s to Knicks
Stephen A. Smith is excited at the possibilities for the New York Knicks after they finalize the Kristaps Porzingis trade to the Dallas Mavericks. (1:22)
The Dallas Mavericks have acquired All-Star forward Kristaps Porzingis and three other players from the New York Knicks in exchange for a package that includes point guard Dennis Smith Jr. and two future first-round picks, it was announced Thursday.
Wesley Matthews and DeAndre Jordan, who both have expiring contracts and could be buyout candidates, will also go to the Knicks. Trey Burke, who is averaging 11.8 points per game this season, is headed to the Mavericks along with Porzingis, Courtney Lee and Tim Hardaway Jr.
“As is standard for this time of year, we were exploring various options on potential trades,” Knicks general manager Scott Perry said in a statement. “Considering the uncertainty regarding Kristaps’ free agent status and his request today to be traded, we made a trade that we are confident improves the franchise. We thank Kristaps, Tim, Courtney and Trey for their contributions and wish them all the best.”
What’s next for the Knicks’ star chase? Will Kristaps Porzingis be a surefire superstar in Dallas? We grade the trade.
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There weren’t enough emojis for NBA players to express their shock when they found out New York was sending The Unicorn to Dallas.
The Knicks will get the Mavericks’ unprotected first-round pick two years after they send one to Atlanta to complete their draft-day deal for Trae Young and another first-round pick that is protected two years after that, sources told ESPN’s Ian Begley. Those picks could come as soon as 2021 and 2023 if Dallas does not move into the top five this year.
The Mavericks are hoping to re-sign the 7-foot-3 Porzingis, who will be a restricted free agent, to a long-term deal this summer, and they are confident that Luka Doncic and veteran Dirk Nowitzki can play significant roles in making that happen, a source told ESPN.
“He loves Luka and Dirk,” a source told ESPN about Porzingis, whose other option would be to sacrifice millions by playing on a one-year qualifying offer.
Porzingis spent time with Doncic in Madrid last summer while he rehabbed his ACL injury at the Real Madrid facility, sources said.
“We obviously think Porzingis is a great young talent, similar in many ways to Dirk,” coach Rick Carlisle said on the Mavs’ flagship station 103.3 FM ESPN. “This is kind of a Dirk-and-Nash type of situation, only these guys are taller.”
Earlier Thursday, Porzingis met with Knicks management and left franchise officials with the impression that he wanted to be traded.
The Knicks did call New Orleans about Anthony Davis, a source told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, but the Pelicans weren’t interested in the Latvian.
There was uncertainty over Porzingis’ willingness to remain in New Orleans beyond his current contract, sources said.
There has been a strong disconnect between Porzingis and Knicks management in recent years, and it culminated in Thursday’s meeting. He expressed concerns on the state of the franchise and his future with the organization, sources said.
Porzingis, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft, was averaging a career-best 22.7 points per game before he was lost due to a left knee injury during a breakout All-Star season in 2017-18. He also was averaging 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.
Hardaway, 26, was leading the Knicks with 19.1 points per game this season, but New York wanted to move him because he is due $18.2 million next season and has a player option for $19 million in 2020-21.
Lee, 33, is due $12.8 million next season. He has played sparingly this season due to the Knicks’ youth movement but averaged 12.0 points per game as a starter last season.
“There are other good players in the deal,” Carlisle said. “Hardaway Jr. is a terrific shooter and a proven two guard in this league. Courtney Lee has been a guy that’s been out of the rotation in New York, because they’ve been going young and all that kind of stuff, but he’s a guy that can still play the game well. He’s a good defender and shoots the ball well. And Trey Burke’s resurrected his career.”
By clearing their books of those contracts, ESPN’s Bobby Marks projects the Knicks to have a league-high $71 million in salary cap space this summer — enough to attempt to sign two maximum-salary free agents.
New York will target the top players on the market, which is expected to include Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Kyrie Irving.
Some close to Durant see New York as a possible landing spot for the back-to-back NBA Finals MVP if he chooses to leave Golden State, according to league sources.
The Knicks (10-40) have struggled without the 23-year-old Porzingis, who has been sidelined for nearly a year with an ACL injury. He was evaluated in January by the team’s medical staff, which confirmed his knee is healing well.
He recently worked out with a coach on the court for roughly 45 minutes. The workout included Porzingis shooting pull-up 3-pointers and dunking.
Smith returned to the Mavericks lineup on Jan. 23 after a two-week absence while trade rumors swirled. While the team chalked up the six games missed to back soreness and an illness, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle later acknowledged that “business stuff” was behind the absence.
Sources told ESPN that Smith, a 2017 lottery pick who is averaging 12.9 points and 4.3 assists per game this season, had taken issue with some of Carlisle’s tough coaching tactics and that the 21-year-old wasn’t pleased with his role playing primarily off the ball due to Doncic’s emergence as an All-Star-caliber playmaker.
“Dennis Smith has had a really terrific year and a half in terms of growth,” Carlisle said Thursday. “I mean, he tops it off last night with a triple-double [against the Knicks]. He’s a tremendous young player, and New York is a such an exciting environment for a guy like him. It’ll be a great situation for him.”
Some in the Knicks front office were enamored with Smith Jr. ahead of the 2017 NBA draft, sources said. The Knicks instead selected Frank Ntilikina with the No. 8 pick. Ntilikina’s name has come up in recent trade discussions, including informal talks between New York and Dallas about the possibility of moving Porzingis, sources told ESPN.
New York will continue to try to trade disgruntled center Enes Kanter ahead of the Feb. 7 trade deadline, sources told ESPN.
The 6-11 Jordan, an 11-year veteran, is averaging 11.0 points and 13.7 rebounds for the Mavericks this season. The former Olympian and top defensive center was an All-Star selection in 2017, was named to the All-NBA team in 2016 and has twice been named to the All-NBA Defensive first team.
Matthews is averaging 13.1 points in 44 starts for the Mavericks this season, his 10th in the league.
The Mavs waived rookie second-round pick Ray Spalding to create the roster spot necessary to make the trade.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Zach Lowe and Ian Begley contributed to this report.