If the New York Knicks were to let Kristaps Porzingis walk in restricted free agency, how might it impact the organization?
The New York Knicks have most the cards to keep Kristaps Porzingis around. Of course, like other superstars, he can request a trade and leave the Big Apple. If not, the Knicks have the ability to match any offer sheet he signs as a restricted free agent.
There’s the other side of the coin. If Porzingis signs another team’s offer sheet, New York may let him walk for nothing.
Letting the franchise’s superstar leave seems unfathomable, but if someone presents a full, maximum contract without any insurance or non-guaranteed money, and the Knicks opt to decline, it opens an interesting scenario. The San Antonio Spurs are among the teams with an eye on Porzingis.
In a hypothetical scenario, what’s the fallout for the Knicks in life without Porzingis? Let’s take a look:
5. Starting from square one on building around superstars
The New York Knicks rolled the dice in 2015, and selected Porzingis at No. 4 overall. Little did anyone know of how his talent would translate to the NBA, as he quickly became a budding star and the top option once Carmelo Anthony, who led the team for six years, left via trade.
Finding star players is not easy. Granted, they change teams more frequently than ever, seemingly, but nothing is guaranteed for each draft class that enters the NBA.
The Knicks project to have a high draft pick in June, given their near-the-bottom-of-the-league record. Zion Williamson is the potential No. 1 overall selection, and RJ Barrett holds top-level talent.
Will anyone from the 2019 NBA Draft solve New York’s superstar problem, though, if the organization already plans to let Porzingis walk?
If not the draft, what about free agency? That’s a different situation for teams that want to find the top talents. It happened before, but without Porzingis, can it happen next summer?