Just as the saga between Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans was taking more twists and turns, word emerged Thursday morning that Kristaps Porzingis met with the New York Knicks to voice some of his frustration and concern with the franchise’s direction.
That was followed by a report that Porzingis intimated his preference was to be traded by the Knicks before the Feb. 7 deadline. Before the dust could even settle, the Knicks and Dallas Mavericks reached a reported agreement.
The deal calls for the Mavs to receive Courtney Lee, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Porzingis, with Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr. and DeAndre Jordan heading to New York. The trade sent reverberations throughout the league, and in particular caught the attention of Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart and Ivica Zubac.
The trio has been mentioned in Los Angeles Lakers trade rumors that involve Davis, and each reacted to news of Porzingis being sent to the Mavericks.
Wow!!!!!
— kuz (@kylekuzma) January 31, 2019
Oh my..
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) January 31, 2019
— Ivica Zubac (@ivicazubac) January 31, 2019
The Knicks sending Porzingis to the Mavs presumably removes them from possibly trading for Davis before next week’s deadline. Upon Magic Johnson speaking with Pelicans general manager Dell Demps, the Lakers reportedly submitted a slew of trade scenarios.
One of which proposed sending Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kuzma and Zubac to Pelicans in exchange for Davis.
As for the Knicks, they made strides toward freeing up enough salary cap space to sign to free agents to max contracts this summer. That could be of interest to the Lakers, as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving may be among those interested in signing with the Knicks.
Reminder: Vivid Seats is the Official Ticket Reseller of LakersNation.com. New Customers use “LAKERSNATION” (all CAPS) in the Vivid Seats App on your phone and get 10% off any Lakers home game ticket order for the remainder of the season.