Jeff Hornacek: Knicks won’t trade Kristaps Porzingis

New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek’s latest comments add some stability to a disheveled franchise.

It looks like rising star Kristaps Porzingis will remain a New York Knick for the time being at least. Ian Begley of ESPN reported that after a recent summer league game, Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek made a few comments alluding to keeping the young star.

"“I think it was out there that Phil was listening but he wasn’t out shopping KP. We love KP and what he does so I don’t see him going anywhere.”"

The Knicks franchise was in desperate need of some calming and reinforcing comments. We’ll never know how close Phil Jackson came to actually trading Porzingis, but the rationale never made any sense whatsoever.

Hey Phil, stop being petty because Kristaps skipped his exit meeting last year. He’s 21 years old and with time will learn to be more professional.

That being said, Porzingis’ frustrations are completely valid. The franchise is in complete disarray and consistently making headlines for all of the wrong reasons.

Any realistic trade scenario involving Porzingis where the Knicks would actually come out on top seemed like a pipedream. Prior to the draft, best case scenario was maybe the Knicks receive a high draft pick and after two years the player selected proves to be just as talented as Porzingis. Why trade a 21-year-old star that has proven themselves as a successful player in the NBA? This is finally an opportunity to build a franchise around a multi-faceted talent.

Now that the draft is in the past, the trade options available make even less sense. An aging star with a large contract whose best years are behind them? Knicks fans have been walking on eggshells waiting for the latest bomb to drop.

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Hornacek took a stance as the leader of the team, hopefully, he can remain a calming voice of reason moving forward.