Kristaps Porzingis (Photo : Elsa | Getty Images Sport)
The New York Knicks have created an interesting lineup in the offseason that will ensure the public's attention.
The jury's still out on their playoff chances, but they would definitely be on the headlines. If a team with Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony and Joakim Noah was formed five years ago, they would have rivaled the Miami Heat. It would have happened in 2014, but Melo had other plans.
Now that they have a young centerpiece in Kristaps Porzingis as well as Courtney Lee and Brandon Jennings, this core could actually do damage. But there is one move that can bring them to contender status now-not in the future.
The question was: Should the Knicks trade Kristaps Porzingis, arguably their most valuable asset, for Russell Westbrook. According to ESPN reporter Chris Broussard in his guest appearance on the Hahn and Humpty Show on MSG (video below), Phil Jackson should pull the trigger.
Broussard cited that Porzingis is still an unknown. The Latvian has shown flashes of brilliance but as Broussard puts it, "he could be Dirk Nowitzki or better, or maybe he's not." As opposed to Westbrook who is already a top 5 player, the Knicks can't guarantee Porzingis' success.
Host Alan Hahn contested that based on the Knicks' history of trading for a free agent, it did not yield a positive result. When the Knicks traded assets for Carmelo Anthony, he did stay but the team was decimated and Melo could not carry it alone.
The Carmelo Anthony case was also cited by Bryan Pol of Elite Sports NY in his appeal to Phil Jackson "not to temptation by trading for Russell Westbrook." Any trade could cripple the team, especially Porzingis who, Pol reminds, is just 21 years old and has a long way to develop.
Broussard is aware of this but he does argue that the Knicks, based on what he is hearing (but Broussard is quick to mention that he is unsure if it's true or not) is probably second to the Lakers as teams favored to sign Westbrook. Not to mention other winning teams making their pitch, the Knicks could lose the opportunity.
The scenario is that the OKC Thunder would be the one to initiate the move, not Westbrook. Broussard noted that OKC could let the Knicks talk to Westbrook and his agent to assure an extension (verbally, unofficially due to NBA rules) and in return, they get Porzingis.
This sounds like a plausible scenario and it has been done before (one example is the Miami Heat trading for Goran Dragic and eventually re-signing him). But Hahn insisted that if Westbrook wants to come to New York, he has control and it will benefit him to join a team with Porzingis.
Hahn noted that they made a Twitter survey on whether they should trade Porzingis for Westbrook and 79% of respondents (estimated 3000) said "No."
