Knicks Fans Bemoan Porzingis’ Trade on Social Media
The NBA All-Star was traded Thursday to the Mavericks. Meanwhile, the Knicks have the worst record in the league.
Elsa/Getty
In 2016, Kevin Durant famously called then-rookie Kristaps Porzingis a “unicorn.” "He can shoot, he can make the right plays, he can defend, he's a 7-footer that can shoot all the way out to the 3-point line,” said Durant. “That's rare.”
By most metrics, it seemed like Durant was right. Porzingis scored an average of 22.7 points per game for the New York Knicks, and was even voted an NBA All-Star in 2018.
That was until almost a year ago, however, when Porzingis suffered an ACL injury that kept him off the court for the entirety of the season. Now the team has the worst record in the NBA.
And, to make matters worse, the Knicks are losing their “unicorn,” and willingly, in the hopes of gaming their way into a top draft pick and dumping enough salary to court free agents next season..
Instead of waiting for Porzingis to heal, the team has reportedly agreed to trade him to the Dallas Mavericks.
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The Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid probably summed up the collective reaction best:
Lololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololo
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) January 31, 2019
Porzingis’ teammate Enes Kanter sent his love:
🦄 ♥️
— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) January 31, 2019
But was still mind-blown by the decision:
😱🤯
— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) January 31, 2019
Others, including The Daily Beast’s own Noah Shachtman, bemoaned the team’s fate.
#Knicks fans: root for the @sixers, the @BrooklynNets, or even the freaking @warriors. You'll live longer, and in less agony.
— Noah Shachtman (@NoahShachtman) January 31, 2019
I woke up like this, literally.
— MichaelRapaport (@MichaelRapaport) January 31, 2019
They traded #porzingis ?
Is this a bad dream? pic.twitter.com/YToUSNcJkr
Imagine being an organization so inept, you trade an athletic, pure shooting, 7’3 defensive monster on his rookie deal, in exchange for cap space. Let that one sink in. @nyknicks #Knicks
— Max Kellerman (@maxkellerman) January 31, 2019
The thought of having to watch Kristaps Porzingis spend the prime of his career alongside Luka Doncic in Dallas is quite possiblly the biggest gut punch imaginable for Knicks fans that have already endured far too many gut punches
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) January 31, 2019
kristaps said he was tired of losing and the knicks were like "trade his ass" lol
— Shea Serrano (@SheaSerrano) January 31, 2019
“Did you seriously trade Kristaps Porzingis for Dennis Smith?”
— NOTSportsCenter (@NOTSportsCenter) January 31, 2019
Knicks GM Scott Perry: pic.twitter.com/rd9ekvmg0E
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