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The Kristaps Porzingis Watch
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
If you are asking yourself what the New York Knicks are thinking with regards to their desire to move Kristaps Porzingis, you are not alone. The NBA is abuzz this morning not only on the notion that the Knicks want to trade Porzingis but how current Knicks president Phil Jackson is going about the process.
Jackson took to MSG Network last night to proclaim that it was in the Knicks future best interests to explore Porzingis’ value. Not only was that a bad PR move, several teams wondered why Jackson would paint himself and his team into a corner by alienating arguably his best talent.
The Knicks are asking such a huge price for Porzingis; most insiders don’t believe the Knicks will get what they are asking for setting the stage for another brutally awkward relationship if a deal cannot be found.
League sources had pegged the Suns as very engaged in trade ideas starting last week, but they have emerged as the team with the most interest in obtaining Porzingis. The belief is the Suns would do some combination of young roster players and the fourth overall pick in tonight’s NBA Draft, but they would not part with star guard Devin Booker in any scenario.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out, especially as the draft starts to take shape and Jackson has to live with the consequences of the can of worms he has opened (again.)
Source: Steve Kyler, Basketball Insiders
