New York Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis trade talk much ado about nothing

On Tuesday, the NBA world exploded with rumors about a New York Knicks trade involving Kristaps Porzingis. In the end, it was a smoke show without much fire.

When Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported the New York Knicks were entertaining the idea of trading Kristaps Porzingis, the sports world went crazy. The initial tweet from Wojnarowski garnered over 1,000 replies, almost 5,000 retweets and over 7,000 likes.

From there, Ian Begley of ESPN added fuel to the fire and the madness continued to grow. The ultimate nightmare for Knicks fans was seemingly coming true just days before the NBA Draft.

Being on the verge of losing Carmelo Anthony and now Porzingis had Knicks fans melting down Chernobyl style.

Phil Jackson had one shining moment in his Knicks management career and it was drafting Porzingis. Yet, it appeared any hope KP brought from Latvia disappeared with one afternoon of NBA Draft trade rumors.

As the day went on, it was tweeted by Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck that the Knicks were not “shopping” Porzingis. Essentially, both Wojnarowski and Begley said the same thing but the hysteria had already begun.

Phil Jackson may have answered his rotary phone and listened to trade offers, but he was not the trade aggressor (as Woj, Begley and Beck said). However, Beck’s tweet didn’t get nearly the reaction as Wojnarowski (less than 400 retweets), even though it was just as important.

R-E-L-A-X

In the days leading up to the NBA Draft there is one eternal fact every basketball fan must remember: every team lies. Various teams, agents and clandestine GMs work their magic on social media hoping to disguise their true intentions. Of course, there is some truth reported, but it is often wrapped in false rumors created by the NBA teams themselves.

Furthermore, a trade for Porzingis would require multiple first round picks, contributing players in return and the perfect scenario to make that happen. There are only a few teams that have the pieces to make that trade, and only the Boston Celtics have the GM with the guts to do it. Even so, its unlikely any trade will happen this year or next involving Kristaps Porzingis.

Who done it?

There are various possibilities as to why someone would have floated the Porzingis trade rumors to the national media. First, the Knicks themselves may be trying to get the attention of KP and his people.

Kristaps Porzingis is a nationally recognized name because he plays for the New York Knicks. If he were anywhere but New York playing on a losing team he would be an afterthought, not a headline. Phil Jackson wants Porzingis to fall in line and appreciate being in New York.

Secondly, other teams need and want deep cover to hide their intentions for draft night. If a certain team is in love with a prospect, they fear another team trading ahead of them to take that player.

Fantastical rumors, like a potential Porzingis trade, muddy the waters and distract from moves that are in fact real. Case in point: the Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets were all involved in trades Tuesday night. Yet, the New York Knicks were not one of those teams.

The Porzingis people

Finally, Kristaps Porzingis and the people surrounding him may have leaked the trade rumors as revenge on the Knicks. A picture of Porzingis looking somewhat confused appeared on his Instagram Tuesday, as reported by Charles Cotton in the NY Post. Yet, just how surprised can Porzingis be since he hasn’t spoken to the Knicks in months?

It’s reasonable to think that his agent/brother was informed of the trade interest by someone with the Knicks. Porzingis’ people could have even pushed the story in retaliation for the lack of respect Phil Jackson has shown them.

Next: 2017 NBA Draft - 5 possible draft-day trades we want to see

Whatever the case and whoever started the Kristaps Porzingis trade rumor deserves tons of credit for making the offseason more interesting for Knicks fans. However, the smoke show that surrounded Porzingis will yield only burning eyes and shortness of breath.