Contrary to what Kristaps Porzingis may tweet, he doesn’t want to leave the New York Knicks for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Or so his older brother told ESPN.com’s Ian Begley:
Kristaps Porzingis‘ brother Janis Porzingis said the Knicks forward wishes to remain in New York but also wants the club to create an environment conducive to player development and winning.
His brother made it clear that if traded, Porzingis intends to play out his contract and test free agency.
“Kris wants to stay in New York; he feels at home there. There is no question about it. The only thing he wants is for the Knicks to create an environment where he can develop and grow as a player and win,” Janis Porzingis said in an interview with ESPN. “If he were traded, he would play out his contract and head into free agency, where he can choose his own destiny.”
All this hoopla is in response to a post that Porzingis tweeted, then deleted, on Saturday:
Tweeted. Then deleted. ? pic.twitter.com/IjwPrcNfmD
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 7, 2017
Porzingis claims he was hacked, because that’s what adults do in this situation. He even provided a screenshot to try proving it:
I would never tweet something like that. I dont even use that emoji smiley face. Cmon B ??? pic.twitter.com/EXmtej5qzn
— Kristaps Porzingis (@kporzee) May 7, 2017
Even if this was Porzingis trying to send some sort of a message, the Knicks have little to worry about. They don’t have to trade him. If they did, the team that acquired him doesn’t have to worry about him leaving via free agency, either. Porzingis doesn’t have that kind of leverage, no matter the situation.
He won’t hit restricted free agency until 2019, at which time his incumbent team will have the right to match any offer he receives. For him to actually control his own destiny, he would have to sign his qualifying offer, leaving tens of millions of dollars on the table, play out his fifth year and reach unrestricted agency in 2020. Few players have the stamina to go through that when they’ll be staring new deals in the face after Years 3 and 4.
Still, despite Porzingis’ lack of big-picture leverage, the Knicks shouldn’t want this drama to continue. He is their most important player since Patrick Ewing, a cornerstone capable of turning the franchise around. That they have already managed to alienate him is ominous. They need to find a way to regain his trust before these rumors get out of control.
