NEW YORK — Everyone’s snap reaction to Thursday’s Dallas-New York trade was that the Mavericks won it … big-time. But only time will tell.
Here is the thing that Knicks fans need to keep in mind: By getting rid of the long-term salary commitments to Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee, The ‘Bockers now have $71 million of cap space available to use in trades or free agency this summer … and a pair of extra first-round picks to continue their rebuild.
Yes, there are still 32 games left to play this season. And the Knicks could very well go 0-32, increasing their losing streak to 43 games.
But this season was a throwaway season anyway, and sometimes you have to clear out the garage and get rid of the old clunker.
The Mavericks are bringing in a player that Knicks fans fell in love with, and the pairing of Porzingis and Luka Doncic — along with the tutelage of Dirk Nowitzki, will make them a contender for the next decade. It is fair to say they now have the two best European players in the NBA.
But they are not going to win a championship this season.
Not with Golden State loaded and the Lakers willing to give up their five best young players — Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Ivica Zubac and Jason Hart — in their efforts to acquire Anthony Davis from the Pelicans.
But the Warriors stand to lose Klay Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins and Kevin Durant in free agency, and the majority of the rest of the NBA is gearing up to compete for the 2020 championship.
And that includes the Knicks.
Under contract for next season for New York are Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina, Lance Thomas, Dennis Smith Jr., Mitchell Robinson and Damyean Dotson. Emmanuel Mudiay is eligible for a qualifying offer of $5.75 million.
Not a whole lot of building blocks there. But when you are doing a massive rebuild, you bring out the bulldozer. The Knicks picked up an unprotected 2021 draft pick from the Mavericks, along with a Top 10 protected pick in 2023 that could turn into an unprotected 2025 No. 1 pick, plus a 2025 second-round pick.
Name the last time the Knicks acquired draft picks in a trade. Yeah, that is a tough one to come up with off the top of your head.
So the snap judgement is to declare the Mavs the winners. But remember: Sometimes it takes years and years who figure out who won a particular deal.
Once upon a time, Nets fans were elated that they had acquired Deron Williams for Derrick Favors. But last we checked, Favors was still a pretty important glue guy for a Utah Jazz team that is shaking off its rust.
A winner and a loser can be declared much more succinctly once the draft comes and goes and free agency begins.
By the second week of July, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that New York has Zion Williamson, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard on the roster.
Another week remains before the Feb. 7 trade deadline, and the Knicks still have to figure out what to do with Ntilikina, Enes Kanter and DeAndre Jordan.
The Mavs now have to set their own timetable on whether they want Porzingis to come back sooner rather than later from his torn ACL, because the expectation in New York was that the Latvian would sit out the entire season.
Dallas currently sits 12th in the Western Conference, and it may be a reach to say they can get to the postseason with their new roster.
But again, three-quarters of the NBA is playing for the 2020 championship, not the 2019 title.
Tough for Knicks fans to put blind faith in a major rebuild having gone since 1973 without a championship. But again, there comes a time when you bring out the bulldozer. That time has clearly arrived.
