“New York has agreed with Dallas on trade that includes Kristaps Porzingis, Courtney Lee, Tim Hardaway Jr., for Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr. and DeAndre Jordan, league sources tell ESPN. Players and agents are being notified of particulars. Deal may include more draft assets.” reported Adrian Wojnarowski on 3:50pm EST.
The Knicks are shedding salary and getting ready for a big free agency splash:
This was a deal which benefited both teams in several different fashions. According to Bobby Marks of ESPN, “The Knicks could be staring at $74.6M in projected cap space for next season. That would be enough for 2 max slots”. Also, Tim Hardaway Jr. has a 15% trade bonus in his contract that is currently valued at $3.75M. $1.875 would be applied to his 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 salary.
DeAndre Jordan and Wes Matthews are two potential buyout players worth keeping an eye on. However, in order to be playoff eligible, they would both need to be waived by March 1.
This news came rather quickly. Earlier in the day, we had heard reports that Kristaps Porzingis’ meeting with the Knicks did not go well. ESPN had reported a little over 30 minutes before the traded that the Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, and Toronto Raptors were among the many teams expected to pursue Kristaps Porzingis. Apparently, the Mavericks struck quicker.
The Mavericks roll the dice in a big way yet again:
Dennis Smith Jr. and Luka Doncic were simply not a fit. DSJ, in my opinion, wanted to lead his own team and was not a fan of the instant stardom which Doncic ascended to. The Mavericks now have a scorer to place alongside Doncic. In addition to that, they have landed a potential superstar in Kristaps Porzingis. This is a major gamble for the Mavericks. Then again, they took a major gamble when they traded up in the draft for Luka Doncic. If Porzingis can come back healthy, this may be looked at as one of the greatest mid season trades in NBA history.
The Mavericks are currently 12th place in the Western Conference with a 23-27 record. They trail the 8th place Clippers by 5 in the win column.
Let’s not forget, DSJ recovered from a knee injury and the Mavericks managed him relatively well. I think this was a great move by both teams. The Knicks are getting ready to land a couple superstars. The Mavericks are trying to improve. What do you think? Tweet me @tprx11