The Dallas Mavericks have agreed to a trade with the New York Knicks for All-Star forward Kristaps Porzingis, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday.
The trade also includes the Knicks sending Courtney Lee and Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Mavericks in return for Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr. and DeAndre Jordan, league sources told Wojnarowski. The deal may also include draft assets, sources said.
The Mavs are working to acquire a first-round pick to include in the deal, sources told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. They owe their own protected first-rounder to the Atlanta Hawks as part of the draft-night trade to acquire Luka Doncic.
Jordan and Matthews both have expiring contracts.
Earlier Thursday, Porzingis met with Knicks meeting and left franchise officials with the impression that he wanted to be traded, league sources told ESPN.
As news quickly unfolded, Knicks teammate Enes Kanter reacted to updates on Twitter by using emojis.
🦄 ♥️
— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) January 31, 2019
🗽 ♥️
— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) January 31, 2019
😱🤯
— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) January 31, 2019
🤔👀
— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) January 31, 2019
Porzingis can be a restricted free agent this summer.
There’s been a strong disconnect between Porzingis and Knicks management in recent years, and it culminated in Thursday’s meeting. He expressed concerns on the state of the franchise and his future with the organization, sources said.
The Knicks (10-40) have struggled without the 23-year-old Porzingis, who has been sidelined for nearly a year with an ACL injury. He was evaluated in January by the team’s medical staff, which confirmed his knee is healing well.
He recently worked out with a coach on the court for roughly 45 minutes. The workout included Porzingis shooting pull-up 3-pointers and dunking.
Porzingis was averaging a career-best 22.7 points per game before he was lost with a left knee injury during a breakout All-Star season in 2017-18. He also was averaging 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.
Porzingis and his brother Janis, who is his agent, met with Knicks management on Thursday morning and discussed his frustration with the franchise’s losing, its past dysfunction and his own uncertainty over creating sustainable organizational success, sources said.
Porzingis, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft, has wanted to play for a winner with the Knicks, but he has been searching for clarity on his future role with the team and the franchise’s direction.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe, Ramona Shelburne and Ian Begley contributed to this report.