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Kristaps Porzingis trade rumors: 5 teams that should trade for Knicks’ star

By Gerald Bourguet

Dec 20, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) during a break in action in the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) during a break in action in the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kristaps Porzingis trade rumors
Jan 11, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) and New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) in a game at Wells Fargo Center. The Philadelphia 76ers won 98-97. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Philadelphia 76ers

After trading up from the third pick in this year’s draft to No. 1 overall, the Philadelphia 76ers could very well just stay the course, draft Markelle Fultz and enjoy a tantalizing young core of Fultz, Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Dario Saric, Robert Covington, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and eventually, Furkan Korkmaz.

HOWEVER.

If having one unicorn in Joel Embiid wasn’t enough, the Sixers could consider adding another, especially with “The Process” being limited to just 31 games through the first three years of his NBA career.

Embiid would be off the table in these discussions, but if the Sixers were willing to include one of Ben Simmons or the No. 1 pick, that’d be a pretty intriguing starting point in potential trade talks.

We’ll start with the scenarios involving the No. 1 pick, since the Knicks desperately need a point guard (SPOILER ALERT: It ain’t Derrick Rose). Fultz could be the new face of the franchise, New York would pocket another future first-rounder, and the Knicks would get their hands on former No. 3 overall pick Jahlil Okafor, a Rookie of the Year candidate in Dario Saric and Robert Covington’s superb wing defense.

Okafor has been fairly criticized for his defensive flaws and injury-proneness, but he’s still only 21 years old and the Knicks would receive a young and talented big to replace KP in the frontcourt. Saric’s well-rounded game will fit anywhere, as would Covington’s alongside Fultz.

Mindaugas Kuzminskas would be included to balance salaries and give Philly some replacement depth on the wing, while Porzingis would form a dynamic trio with Embiid and Simmons. However, let’s say the Knicks aren’t interested in Okafor.

In this scenario, Luwawu-Cabarrot is thrown in instead of Okafor, who is viewed as more of an albatross by some teams around the league. The Knicks keep Kuzminskas in this deal and still pocket all of the other assets.

But let’s say the Knicks would rather use their No. 8 overall selection to address the point guard spot, taking their pick between De’Aaron Fox, Frank Ntilikina or Dennis Smith Jr. Let’s say, in addition to Dario Saric’s playmaking ability in the frontcourt, they want to add a legitimate point forward in Ben Simmons.

In this scenario, the Sixers have to stomach the loss of last year’s No. 1 overall pick, giving up on his point forward potential after he missed his entire rookie year due to injury. That being said, they’d keep RoCo, Luwawu-Cabarrot and the No. 1 pick, allowing them to put the ball in Markelle Fultz’s capable hands as lead playmaker.

Simmons’ health would be a risky proposition for the Knicks, especially since they’d only be getting Saric alongside the former No. 1 pick, and would have to give up Kuzminskas for salary-matching purposes.

But since Philadelphia wouldn’t give up both Simmons and the No. 1 pick, and since Okafor’s value is down, it might be hard to facilitate a deal here. On the Sixers’ part, there’d also be nothing wrong with keeping the No. 1 pick, drafting Fultz and appreciating what they have after the Celtics swap.