On a recent radio interview, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban talked about the Kristaps Porzingis trade he made with the New York Knicks.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was stunned when presented with the offer it would take to acquire New York Knicks disgruntled star Kristaps Porzingis.
He described his feelings about the trade during an interview on WFAN in New York.
"“Very,” Cuban said when asked if he was stunned by the price to acquire Porzingis on WFAN on Wednesday. “It happens in the NBA. It’s like the James Harden trade. Harden gets traded from OKC to the Rockets and I’m like, damn, why didn’t we even get that offered to us? We weren’t in the mix. Nobody was. It was one phone call and the Rockets said yes. [The Porzingis trade] was our one phone call.”"
The Knicks traded Porzingis, who was still recovering from a torn ACL at the time, along with Tim Hardaway Jr., Trey Burke, and Courtney Lee in exchange for what most fans remember as cap space, Dennis Smith Jr., and two first round picks. DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews, both on expiring contracts, were also sent to Madison Square Garden.
Cuban said the Mavericks had made token offers for Porzingis leading up to the trade, as general managers commonly do to assess availability, and eventually the Knicks “changed their mind” about their willingness to deal their perceived franchise star.
New York was working under the assumption that they would be a preferred destination for superstar free agents, such as Kevin Durant, the following summer. By attaching both Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee’s contracts to Porzingis, they cleared enough cap space to allow them to sign two max free agents come July. Obviously, that dream never materialized.
Knicks president Steve Mills, who helped orchestrate the deal, has since been fired. Mills claimed that Porzingis had demanded a trade in the hours leading up to the trade that sent the All-Star forward to Dallas.
New York’s new president Leon Rose recently hired Jazz executive Walt Perrin in a lead scouting role, along with pro scout Frank Zanin. A recent report indicates the Knicks’ pro scouting team under Mills and Perry were criticized around the league for their evaluation of Dennis Smith Jr, who they hoped would answer their point guard troubles.
Smith Jr. has been anything but impressive during his short stint with the Knicks.
Since returning to the court this season, Porzingis has averaged 19.2 points on 42% shooting, including 34.9% from downtown. He has also grabbed 9.5 rebounds and blocked 2.1 shots for a Mavericks team that is currently 40-27 in the Western Conference.