Written by Ian Begley at ESPN.com
New York Knicks president Phil Jackson confirmed Wednesday night that he has received calls in recent days from teams interested in trading for Kristaps Porzingis.
“We’re getting calls. As much as we value Kristaps and what he’s done for us, when a guy doesn’t show up for an exit meeting, everybody starts speculating on the duration or movability from a club,” Jackson said in an interview on MSG Network. “So we’ve been getting calls and we’re listening, but we’re not intrigued yet at this level. But as much as we love this guy, we have to do what’s good for our club.”
Teams in touch with the Knicks indicated New York has not ruled out the possibility of trading Porzingis, though one opposing club said it came away with the impression that the price tag for the star forward was extremely high.
Jackson was asked why he would consider trading Porzingis, the Knicks’ young star and a player regarded around the NBA as someone whom a franchise can be built around.
“The future, you know, what it brings,” Jackson said. “Does it bring us two starters and a draft pick or something that’s even beyond that? [That’s] something we have to look at as far as going down the road. We know what he is. He’s a unicorn, and he’s special.”
Jackson confirmed reports from both ESPN and The Vertical that the Knicks had received numerous inquiries about Porzingis in recent days.
Sources told ESPN on Tuesday that the Knicks had talks with each team positioned in the top five in the lottery, trying to acquire both its pick and a young player with star potential for Porzingis.
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