Any New York Knicks fan watching Game 1 of the NBA Finals must have had the same thought: if only the Knicks had a player like Kristaps Porzingis.
If only.
In a cruel twist of fate, Porzingis — a player Knicks fans once dreamed would lead the Knicks to the Finals — dominated Game 1 of the Finals for the Boston Celtics, a team Knicks fans had hoped to face in this year's Eastern Conference Finals.
It's been a wild journey for Porzingis in the five years since he requested a trade from the Knicks, who seemed almost happy to oblige.
Who did the Knicks trade Porzingis for?
Porzingis asked the Knicks for a trade on January 31, 2019.
The 7-foot-3 Latvian big man was out for the season with a torn ACL. There had been reports that his relationship with the team was fraying.
The Knicks almost immediately obliged, sending Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks that day. Then-Knicks president Steve Mills said at the time that the team already had several deals lined up, in case Porzingis asked out.
Here was the official deal.
Mavericks received: Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee, and Trey Burke
Knicks received: Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, two protected first-round picks
The Mavericks seemed like immediate winners of the deal. Though Porzingis wasn't going to suit up in the 2018-19 season, the Mavs added a dynamic, floor-spacing big man to pair with rookie sensation Luka Doncic.
Meanwhile, the package for the Knicks was viewed as modest. Yes, they got two draft picks and Smith Jr., who was only one season removed from an impressive rookie campaign. But many in the NBA world saw the move as a cap-clearing deal that set the Knicks up to have enough cap space to sign two max players in free agency.
How does the deal look five years later?
It wouldn't be fair to call the trade a "disaster" for the Mavericks, but it certainly wasn't a victory, either.
Over two-and-a-half healthy seasons with the Mavericks, Porzingis averaged 20 points on 44.8% shooting, 34.5% from three, 8.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game.
However, even in the pandemic-shortened seasons of 2020-2022, Porzingis averaged just 50 games per season.
He never developed chemistry with Luka Doncic, and he was often relegated to spacing the floor for catch-and-shoot threes in the Mavericks' Doncic-driven offense.
The Mavs ended up trading him to the Washington Wizards in 2022 for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans. After 1.5 seasons in Washington, where Porzingis refocused on being more efficient and better on defense, he was traded to the Celtics this past summer.
Things are a little tougher to judge for the Knicks. Smith never developed into a starting-caliber point guard and the other players the Knicks received did not stay in New York long-term.
The Knicks did not sign two stars in free agency that summer — Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving chose the Brooklyn Nets instead.
The Knicks did, however, sign Julius Randle that summer. After a poor 2019-20 season, Randle developed into an All-Star and helped lead the Knicks to their first playoff appearance since 2013. Randle has now been named an All-Star three times and made All-NBA twice over four years.
And the draft picks are still paying off for the Knicks — New York owns the 24th pick in this year's draft, courtesy of the Mavs.
Without trading Porzingis, the Knicks likely would have never been forced to reset from an era in which they waffled between fringe playoff team and lottery contender.
Let's also hope the Knicks also learned a lesson about how to better maintain relationships with future franchise stars.
Porzingis, meanwhile, is playing in the Finals, playing a key role on a team that has had one of the best seasons in NBA history. He seems to have finally found a home.
