Kristaps Porzingis exited stage left when the New York Knicks made their blockbuster trade in January — using this transaction to further their free agency hopes by shedding Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke‘s future salaries.
This was hardly the start of Porzingis trade talks, however. Per ESPN’s Zach Lowe (h/t RealGM), the Knicks and Sacramento Kings discussed a deal around the 2018 NBA Draft to center around the 7-foot-3 Latvian for De’Aaron Fox. The Kings needed to either send more with Fox or take “unwanted” salary from New York.