June 20, 2017
On Tuesday, Phil Jackson made waves by saying that he was open to trading Kristaps Porzingis, the fourth-overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. And now, it seems that the Sixers, who dominated NBA headlines over recent days by trading up for the No. 1 pick, are among the teams who have reached out to the Knicks to inquire about their big man.
Here's more from Adam Zagoria of zagsblog.com:
The Knicks have received calls from multiple teams regarding 7-foot-3 big man Kristaps Porzingis, a team source told ZAGSBLOG.
The source said Philadelphia, Phoenix and San Antonio have called regarding Porzingis. The Daily News also reported that Boston contacted the Knicks. [zagsblog.com]
It's hard to tell what exactly this means, as nearly every NBA team should be giving Jackson a call today, even if it's only to inquire about the asking price. I don't think there's any reason for Sixers fans to get excited just yet, but they should at least be happy that Colangelo is reaching out. It can't hurt.
As for whether or not such a move would make sense for the Sixers, it likely comes down to the asking price.
Last month, our own Rich Hofmann wrote about whether or not he'd be willing to give up Ben Simmons for Porzingis. At the time, he was leaning toward yes. Although I haven't asked him yet, I'd bet the upcoming addition of Markelle Fultz didn't make him any less willing to make that deal.
But given a recent report suggesting the Knicks are looking to dump some salary, the cost of acquiring Porzingis might not be as high as first expected, especially if you have room to take on a contract.
League sources say Phil Jackson wants to dump Joakim Noah's contract as part of a #Porzingis trade. Unclear if it's a deal-breaker. #Knicks
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) June 20, 2017
The Sixers have plenty of cap space. Add that to all of their assets – both future picks and young talent – and they may be in a better position than most to work out a deal with Jackson and the Knicks.
Unless, of course, a team is willing to greatly overpay.
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