NEW YORK — Three full seasons after his controversial exit from the Knicks and with the benefit of experience, Kristaps Porzingis acknowledges there were elements of his departure he could’ve handled another way.
“Now that I’m older, smarter and understand what happened back then, it could have been done differently for sure,” said Porzingis, now entering his second season with the Wizards. “The ACL [tear], it didn’t help — all of that situation. In the end, maybe sooner or later it would have happened anyway. It’s hard to say. For sure, what I can say is things could have been done differently.”
The deal sending Porzingis to the Mavericks in 2019 was an inflection point for the Knicks. It was a pivot to cap space and future draft picks that still impacts the franchise’s roster and strategy. It also occurred after Porzingis requested a trade, which the Knicks effectively used to turn Porzingis into the fan base’s Public Enemy No. 1.
