SAN ANTONIO – When Kristaps Porzingis was with the Knicks, Nets rookie Rodions Kurucs couldn’t help but see his fellow Latvian as a role model and an inspiration for what he might achieve in his NBA career. But like many others, Kurucs seemed stunned by the news on Thursday that the Knicks had traded their erstwhile franchise player to the Mavericks saying Porzingis had asked to be traded.
“It was his decision, hard decision,” Kurucs said of Porzingis. “Maybe he wanted [a trade], I don’t know. It was his decision. I can’t tell you anything more about it.