Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News wrote a piece on Kristaps Porzingis’ restricted free agency that spun folks up into a tizzy, as Bondy suggested that among the possibilities this summer is that 3-6-Latvia signs a qualifying offer to become an unrestricted free agent in 2020. Other options suggested as plausible by Bondy include the Knicks getting skittish about offering a straight-up max deal, leading to an attempt by the Nets or Clippers to swoop in and force the issue with a max offer sheet.
Knicks will have a Kristaps Porzingis problem, sooner or later
We have that and more in Thursday’s NBA newsletter.
Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Bondy knows much more about what’s going on in the Knicks’ collective heads than I or most of us. But based on recent NBA history, there’s no chance Porzingis will play for the qualifying offer next season or that New York will let him go on an offer sheet. Maybe if there’s real dissent about his value they could try a sign-and-trade for a promising package of players. Maybe. But probably not.
Based on what’s happened with other players in this situation — worth the max but somewhat disgruntled and eager to check out the grass on the other side — the most likely scenario is that the Knicks will offer a max deal, Porzingis will sign it, and if New York doesn’t cure KP’s actual problem with the franchise within a couple years, his annoyance with everything will creep back up and he’ll demand a trade.
This is what happened with Kawhi Leonard and Kyrie Irving, two names Bondy brought up in his piece as examples of how players who want out of somewhere tend to get their ways. The important thing about those guys for anxious Knicks fans to remember is both signed max deals coming off their rookie contracts. It was only into those second contracts that their discontent truly mattered.
As such, there is relatively little to worry about this summer (the Knicks could even do what the Bulls did with Jimmy Butler years ago and offer a max offer sheet on Day 1, preventing anyone else from cutting an offer with onerous conditions) but plenty to worry about in two or three years if the Knicks continue to be terrible. But Knicks fans are smart and knew that. It’s pretty obvious if a team is bad for a decade the young star is going to be unhappy sticking around!
The solution here is for the Knicks to find a way to no longer stink. Good luck.
Scores
Mavericks 122, Hornets 84
Heat 117, Cavaliers 92
Hawks 98, Wizards 114
Pelicans 121, Nets 126
Timberwolves 102, Celtics 115
Magic 112, Bulls 84
Pistons 101, Grizzlies 94
Sixers 132, Suns 127
Thunder 107, Lakers 100
Schedule
All times Eastern.
Raptors at Spurs, 8, TNT
Nuggets at Kings, 10, League Pass
Rockets at Warriors, 10:30, TNT
Links
I wrote about the rather fuzzy playoff picture — 25 teams deep — at about the halfway mark of the regular season. I think we have to bump the Rockets up a tier if they beat Golden State on Thursday.
Mike Prada on the scourge of rebound jousting in the aftermath of Joel Embiid getting mad at Ben Simmons.
Dion Waiters played in an NBA game for the first time in a year on Wednesday. He took nine shots in 10 minutes. Waiters Island is open again, my friends.
The Grizzlies lost their eighth in the last 10 ... at home ... to an iffy Detroit team. So they had a team meeting. Shams Charania reports Omri Casspi and Garrett Temple got into a physical altercation during the meeting. It’s no Tony Allen vs. O.J. Mayo, but then what is?
The new Westbrook shoe is out, and he wore it in the win over the Lakers. Is this a good moment to acknowledge that Westbrook’s athleticism hasn’t really taken even a slight hit despite a couple injuries and advancing age?
And finally: Boris Diaw has a new web series documenting his journey across the Atlantic on a yacht. It deserves all of the Emmys, right now.
Be excellent to each other.
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