Kristaps Porzingis would be incredible with the Philadelphia 76ers

Having acquired the No. 1 overall pick, the Philadelphia 76ers should also entertain a run at emerging star, Kristpas Porzingis.

Is it possible that Philadelphia 76ers general manager Bryan Colangelo isn’t finished with his offseason of blockbuster moves?

Following a new report, that could very well be the case.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, New York Knicks team president, Phil Jackson, is entertaining the chance of offloading emerging star, Kristaps Porzingis, at the right price this summer.

As has been well chronicled, Porzingis’ recent interactions with the Knicks, in particular Jackson, have not been fruitful. The main point of contention was when Porzingis completely skipped the Knicks’ annual exit interviews, primarily due to his perceived “dysfunction and drama” surrounding the organization.

Furthermore, Wojnarowski’s latest piece detailed that since that incident, the Knicks have not attempted to reach out and speak with the 21-year-old Latvian. So naturally, when a future star such as Porzingis’ name props up as a potential trade target, teams across the league are going to be intrigued.

Colangelo and the Sixers recently confirmed that they have finalized their deal to send this year’s No. 3 overall pick, along with a future first-round selection, in exchange for this years No. 1 overall pick. It is widely expected the Sixers will choose guard Markelle Fultz with this selection.

But the apparent possibility of a Porzingis move away from the Big Apple means, according to Wojnarowski:

"“The Knicks are poised to begin listening to rival teams’ pitches on potential Porzingis deals.”"

The Vertical‘s Chris Mannix later reported that a KP deal was looking less likely:

Despite this report, and despite the Sixers now being stocked with young talent, the opportunity to acquire a talent such as Porzingis should not be dismissed. Porzingis, who averaged 18.1 points and 7.2 rebounds this season, still has two years remaining on his rookie contract, with the final year being a team option.

Therefore, the Sixers would need to seriously ascertain what they are willing to forego in order to acquire Porzingis’ services. And naturally, according to Sam Amick of USA Today, he is not going to come cheaply:

Colangelo, the Sixers’ president of basketball operations and general manager, has already clearly demonstrated that he is not afraid to swing a deal to hasten the progress of the franchise.

One potential deal could involve two key pieces of the Sixers’ current rotation, with a pair of future picks thrown in for good measure.

While Dario Saric showed tremendous growth in his rookie season, and Robert Covington established himself as one of the premier wing defenders in the league, their upside is not on the same level as Porzingis.

For the Knicks, they land themselves two players who can step in immediately and form the nucleus of the Knicks’ next frontier under Jackson.

Another option for the Sixers could consist of the following:

This would be the riskier of the two proposals on both sides of the equation. The No. 1 overall selection in 2016, Ben Simmons has yet to play a game due to a foot injury. Hence, both the Sixers and Knicks have been unable to ascertain Simmons’ true value in the pro game. However, his potential is undeniable.

It’s worth noting that the Knicks would almost certainly push for the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft. It’d be Colangelo’s job to convince them their other future draft assets would be enough without having to surrender the opportunity to draft Fultz.

With the expected arrival of Fultz, Simmons can be seen as somewhat expendable due to Fultz’s ability to step in assume the starting point guard role. For the Knicks, it could give them the chance  to acquire a potential transformational player, as they most likely try to move on from the Carmelo Anthony era.

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Just the thought of pairing the 7’3″ Porzingis with a fellow unicorn in seven-footer Joel Embiid should be enough for Colangelo and the Sixers’ front office to at least make some inquiries as to Porzingis’ asking price.