5 unfortunately plausible Kristaps Porzingis trades that would destroy the Knicks
By Trey Daubert
Do you trust the process? It’s possible Phil Jackson gets enamored with Philly’s young core and wants a piece of the 76ers momentum. Swapping out Dario Saric for Kristaps Porzingis is absurd on it’s face but so is half the other Knicks’ moves. Let’s examine further.
Saric, 23, is expected to win Rookie of the Year after coming over from Europe last year. He averaged 12.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in his first year with the 76ers. If Phil Jackson truly wants Porzingis off his hands, maybe swapping him out for another European big man makes sense. Saric appears to have a bright future but doesn’t have the natural length or pure shooting stroke Kristaps has.
The motivation for Philly in this deal would be getting the much, much, much better player and gaining an extra year in contract talks. Saric will be heading into the last year of his rookie deal and will likely command big money on the restricted free agent market. Adding Porzingis gives Philadelphia the option to wait on those prospective extension talks and possibly add free agents while there is still a bounty of cap space to go around. A Porzingis, Ben Simmons, and Joe Embiid trio give the 76ers tremendous length. Boy, would that team be fun to watch, especially with the inevitable arrival of point guard Markelle Fultz.