The New York Knicks made a daring move when they opted not to sign Kristaps Porzingis to a contract extension. This means that the Latvian beanpole will become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2019.
Depending on how one looks at it, it may or may not work for the Knicks. It could be favorable in the sense that it allows them added flexibility as far as cap space, needing at least one more transaction to be able to get a max contract superstar next NBA season. Among the big names include Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, and Jimmy Butler, big names that may consider Gotham as their next stop, ESPN said.
Also, the Knicks could be confident that they can sort things out with Porzingis. The 7-foot-3 cager mentioned he was happy in New York and that they can easily match any offer thrown at him next year. This is assuming that the money involved is within reasonable ground.
At the moment, the 23-year-old NBA star is undergoing rehabilitation for an ACL tear, the NY Dailly News said. There is no official word yet on when he could return and such could potentially be another reason why the Knicks are playing it safe. However, his height is something rare – made even sweeter because he can hit it from the outside and has shown incredible agility.
Like the Knicks, a lot of other teams will keep tabs on his rehab and return to the hardwood. He is unlikely to render the same performance before the injury as he tries to break himself in slowly before reverting to his old deadly ways. That said, New York and other teams may look more at his efficiency after the injury before arriving at the proper numbers on the Latvian star.
By passing on Porzingis, the Knicks have now saved $10 million in cap space for 2019. Prior to this, the team already waived Joakim Noah for more cap space. Come 2019, the Knicks are projected to have $31 million available with one more transaction needed to help reduce their salary commitments.
The projected max contract for next season is estimated to be about $32.7 million for 7 to 9 years of service. The evolving plan seems to pair that max player target with Kristaps – assuming nothing goes awry along the way.
Despite saying that he was happy in New York, there were anxious moments between the two sides. This all happened during his second season where he skipped an exit interview with then-team president Phil Jackson. With a change at the top, could all be well as the Knicks try to come up with a retooled team before the 2019-2020 wars?
