Thrived: Kristaps Porzingis
In his first full season with the Wizards, Kristaps Porzingis averaged a career-high 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 65 games, the most he’s played since the 2016-17 season in New York. He shot a career-best 49.8% from the field, too.
The 27-year-old has a $36 million player option for the 2023-24 season, but if he decides to opt out of it in favor of a larger contract after a career year, the Wizards have made it clear that they plan to re-sign him. He’s been vocal about his respect for those within the organization and has even said that he feels at home in D.C.
His time in New York didn’t end on a good note, but Porzingis recently opened up and admitted that he wished he would’ve handled things differently. He added that he has only good things to say about the organization, but that doesn’t mean that Knicks fans will stop booing him when he’s at the Garden.
The Knicks might not have been able to keep their No. 4 pick in the 2015 draft long-term, but he’s seemingly found a home with the Wizards after spending two and a half seasons with the Mavericks. Porzingis’ health has been a concern, but if he’s able to continue to produce numbers similar to the ones he put up in 2022-23, he could remain in Washington for several seasons.
9 Players the New York Knicks gave up on way too soon
The New York Knicks gave up on these nine players way too soon, chasing win-now options and living to regret it in every case.