(01-31-2019 05:41 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  

(01-31-2019 04:35 PM)Wedge Wrote:  Knicks trade Porzingis and others to the Mavericks for Dennis Smith, DeAndre Jordan, and others.

Looks like the Knicks are doing this for cap space, while the Mavs are sending off Smith, who doesn't want to be there, and getting Porzingis, who may take up a lot of cap space while only being good-not-great once he recovers from an ACL tear.

The injury is curious. A guy his age should be able to fully recover from an ACL tear - and with his skill set this deal would otherwise look like a steal for Dallas. But something about the exceptionally long recovery time and vague/contradictory details from the Knicks makes me wonder how severe the injury was and/or how poorly the rehab has gone.

Porzingis is a restricted free agent after this season. So Dallas essentially acquired the right to match any offers he gets, or to do a sign-and-trade if Porzingis tells them he doesn't want to play for the Mavs. In theory, Porzingis could sign the one-year qualifying offer this summer that has to be given to any RFA, and then he'd be a UFA in the summer of 2020, but that would be a significant risk for him given his injury.

Also, the Mavericks are sending the Knicks two first-round picks. That's ok if Porzingis is healthy and they re-sign him, but it will burn them if Porzingis walks or isn't healthy.

Demps finally called Magic to inform him that hell will freeze over before New Orleans trades Davis to the Lakers? (Kidding, sort of. IMO the Pelicans want to keep the Lakers in play just in case the Celtics don't offer to include Tatum in a trade for Davis.)