Even halfway through the season, before most of the Knicks drama commenced, trade rumors began swirling between these two teams. Originally, it was thought the Clippers may make a run at Carmelo. Now, after a scandalous tweet, could they be after Porzingis?
At 8 o’clock Saturday night, Kristaps tweeted this:
Then, at 11 am this morning, he recovered and erased any idea that the tweet was released by him:
Whether this proves true or not, for now, all the real NBA fans will be thinking one thing. Would the Clippers attempt a trade for Porzingis?
My thought, absolutely.
Is it possible? Not at all.
Blake Griffin is expected to decline his player option for next season and either sign-and-trade, or enter free agency. Either way, the Clippers will feature a hole in their lineup, and a big one at that. Forming a new Big 3 featuring Paul, Porzingis, and Jordan, may prove lethal. A young and improving talent, the 7″1 Latvian may be a good fit for Lob City.
With the big man still on contract, would LA attempt a Griffin for Porzingis swap?
The main problem here is the salary difference. Kristaps is still on his rookie contract, and Blake Griffin is valued at ($21-million) should he opt in, and even more if he opts out. Likely, a trade swap between these two wouldn’t be possible. Unless somehow, the Knicks worked in their draft pick and a role player. Even then, Phil Jackson would have to be sure (and he’s not sure about ALOT of things) that Griffin would stay with New York.
I give a Porzingis trade to Los Angeles a (20%) chance, but you never know with these things. Adding Porzingis would help to convince Chris Paul that Los Angeles has a future, and would free a lot of salary cap up in Lob City.
Phil Jackson has shown interest in Griffin before, and worked at a Griffin for Carmelo swap earlier in the season. Would the Knicks go through with this? A year ago, I would have likely said never. Now, after the season we’ve had, who knows what Phil Jackson wouldn’t do.
Featured image provided by FanRag Sports via Google Images.
