Knicks got Porzingis trade right even with Durant snub

Taken at face value, Kevin Durant’s silence-breaking remarks this week indicated the Knicks were never on his radar — just Brooklyn.

Most NBA cognoscenti, however, were skeptical about that comment.

But even if Knicks president Steve Mills was misled by Durant’s agent and manager Rich Kleiman, it doesn’t change the franchise’s view that it did the right thing in trading Kristaps Porzingis to the Mavericks on Jan. 31, according to people familiar with the situation.

“If I was leaving the Warriors, it was always going to be for the Nets,” Durant told Yahoo Sports on Wednesday, in his first public comments since before the NBA Finals began. “They got the pieces and a creative front office. I just like what they were building. … The basketball was appealing.”

Strong words. But not enough to make the Knicks regret the Porzingis trade.

That blockbuster deal widely was heralded as a maneuver to open up two max salary slots for free agents — ideally Durant and buddy Kyrie Irving. The Knicks still believe they had no choice but to trade Porzingis, regardless of the intentions of Durant and Irving.

In the simplest of terms, Porzingis and his brother and agent Janis didn’t want to remain with the Knicks. Porzingis let it be known during a meeting with the Knicks and the club accommodated him.

The Knicks felt attempting to change his mind — after all prior attempts had failed — would be wasted energy.

As last season wore on, the Knicks became convinced Janis would not let his brother, who was rehabbing from a torn ACL suffered in February 2018, take the court even if he passed all his knee-strength tests. There was a sense Janis was unwilling to risk his brother’s future $158 million payday.

If the Knicks had let Porzingis reach free agency, they believe it would have mucked up their July by tying up their cap money and delaying their chance of spending elsewhere.

Even though Porzingis would have been a restricted free agent, the 7-foot-3 Latvian would have leverage, the Knicks believed.

In the NBA’s new climate, restricted free agency no longer gives an edge to the player’s own team. Though the Knicks could have matched any offer, Porzingis would likely have asked for a trade soon after.

Even if the Knicks were right in trading Porzingis, the signings of Durant and Irving with Brooklyn left Garden brass open to questioning whether they had sought the wrong cap-friendly assets. It also raises the question of why Porzingis wanted so badly to leave. The Mavericks star has yet to explain.

Will Porzingis prove to be a career malcontent or was his mistrust in the Knicks triumvirate of Mills, general manager Scott Perry and coach David Fizdale warranted?

In addition, had Mills known in late January that Durant’s and Irving’s plans didn’t include the Knicks, would he have been better served gaining more young assets instead of expiring contracts?

The Knicks still like their Porzingis haul and still have high regard for point guard Dennis Smith Jr. The two first-round draft picks they got from Dallas can — at the least — be packaged in a future deal for the kind of star that is glaringly lacking from their 2019-20 roster.

Mills and Perry have not yet talked publicly since their July spending spree was largely panned. But they still like their Plan C because it involves short-term deals on players they believe in.

Looking at the big picture, Mills sees this as the start of the third season of a rebuilding plan — with the Knicks still having an opportunity to add a final-piece superstar, whether via trade of free agency, because of their cap flexibility from the series of one-year pacts.

The 2020 free-agent pool is short on stars, but they could be one of the favorites for big fish Anthony Davis if the Lakers implode. Rich Paul, Davis’ agent, likes the idea of his client in New York, according to a source.

But then again, isn’t that what we heard about Durant all last season?

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