More than two years later, it is actually starting to seem like the New York Knicks may have won the Kristaps Porzingis trade. Knicks legend Earl “The Pearl” Monroe certainly appears to agree.
The 76-year-old Basketball Hall of Famer Monroe tweeted an observation this week about the former Knick Porzingis. Monroe said it looked like Porzingis went from being a franchise player with the Knicks to a “functional skilled big” with the Dallas Mavericks.
Porzingis, 25, tore his ACL in 2018 when he was still with the Knicks and indeed has yet to fully recapture his All-Star form ever since. He continues to sit out on occasion to manage his surgically repaired knee and has missed time with other unrelated issues as well. In fairness to Porzingis, he does not need to be Dallas’ franchise player with superstar teammate Luka Doncic running the show.
As for the Knicks, the Porzingis trade helped them press the reset button and build around a new core of young players. It also opened up cap space for players like Julius Randle. Now the Knicks have a winning record and look poised to make their first playoff appearance in nearly a decade.
Porzingis’ time in New York did come to a rather messy end. With how well the team is playing now, there are probably very Knicks fans who regret making that trade.
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