The surprising loss of the Boston Celtics against the Chicago Bulls in Round 1 of the NBA playoffs pushed the front office of both teams to reflect on the situation and deliberate on the key pieces they would need to add or trade for in the offseason. As the top seed in the Eastern Conference, shockingly unseating the Cleveland Cavaliers despite the efforts LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, the Isaiah Thomas team becomes a serious contender for the NBA Finals championship trophy. However, it seems that their current roster might be needing another star to make it to the top.
The New York Knicks have been struggling to execute their rebuilding plans especially in light of their current concern with the Carmelo Anthony contract. More importantly, the players seem to be getting increasingly restless with management specifically with Phil Jackson and the way he leads the team. While others choose to keep mum on this matter, others like Kristaps Porzingis opted to show their disagreement with the front office by openly opposing the exec. The decision of the Latvian star to skip his exit interview prompted some fans to speculate that a Carmelo Anthony trade could cost the New York Knicks not only one but two NBA All-Star players.
"Everything has got to be possible. And we have to make sure that if people have something to say we listen to it, we'll examine it," commented Phil Jackson on the possibility of a Kristaps Porzingis trade. This response came as a surprise considering the overall perception that the young star is slated as the next face of the franchise - the player to become the next Carmelo Anthony. However, Phil Jackson seems to remain in naming Kristaps Porzingis as the future of the New York Knicks.
The exec said, "He's 21 years old. That's a big load for anybody to take on. But he's shown that he's competitive. He's shown that he's competitive. He's shown that he's got a sense of desire to win, et cetera. So we're really pleased with how he's developed. I think he had some concern this year about physical, not being able to stand up to all the games physically, Achilles tendon, back, et cetera."
Rumors are rife that the issues in the New York Knicks could mean better chances for other teams to get a shot at trading for Kristaps Porzingis. Among the squad interested in the Latvian star are the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings. However, the Boston Celtics are anticipated to have the most realistic chance of landing the young star.
"For the Celtics, this is good news. There was zero chance of Porzingis getting traded before yesterday, but now the door has been cracked open. Danny Ainge can offer any combination of picks and players to make Jackson think that it's a better idea to let Porzingis go than keep him," revealed Michael DePrisco of FanSided.
What do you think? Should the Boston Celtics make their offer for a Kristaps Porzingis contract soon?
