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3 Former Knicks that the team should consider trading for this offseason

By Zachary Bachar

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 28: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the Washington Wizards gestures against the Boston Celtics during the second half at Capital One Arena on March 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 28: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the Washington Wizards gestures against the Boston Celtics during the second half at Capital One Arena on March 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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Kristaps Porzingis, Washington Wizards. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) – New York Knicks
Kristaps Porzingis, Washington Wizards. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) – New York Knicks /

1. Kristaps Porzingis

Once viewed as the savior of the Knicks franchise, Kristaps Porzingis has come a long way since his rocky departure from New York in 2019. His All-Star selection, 40-point game, and heartbreaking ACL tear all seem like distant memories.

His career has been filled with ups and downs, but a slew of injuries has caused him to record just one season of playing in 60+ games since the blockbuster trade. He was dealt to the Wizards in 2022 by Dallas for a meager package consisting of Davis Bertans and Spencer Dinwiddie. Only Bertans remains on the Mavericks.

With that being said, things have begun to look promising again for Porzingis. He just put together the best season of his career in Washington, averaging 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game on 50-39-85 splits while appearing in 65 contests.

FiveThirtyEight’s RAPTOR metric, which combines box score and on-off components, ranked Porzingis as the 19th best player in the NBA to tie him with Brunson, Paul George, and James Harden.

His efficiency as well as his aggressiveness in the paint are both at all-time highs, and at 27 years old he’s just starting to enter his prime. He’s thrown down 168 dunks in 116 games over his past two seasons. Compare this to his Knicks tenure, where he recorded just 183 dunks in 186 games over three years.

While his exit from New York was messy, Porzingis has spoken a few times about missing the large market as well as wishing he could have done things differently about his trade request. It seems like he’d be open to a reunion.

He currently has a player option for one more season and could decline it to enter free agency. However, the Knicks don’t have the cap space to sign him outright so a sign-and-trade would need to be worked out.

Mitchell Robinson is an above-average center who is arguably the best offensive rebounder in the league, although his lack of spacing as well as a consistent offensive skillset has led to some problems in the halfcourt offense.

Porzingis doesn’t have the same kind of defensive versatility, but it’s impossible to ignore how beneficial his floor-spacing and self-created offense would be for the rest of the Knicks’ starters. If he continues on his current trend of remaining mostly healthy, New York would be getting a star without emptying all of their draft capital.

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