The trade that sent Tim Hardaway Jr. and Kristaps Porzingis from the Knicks to the Mavericks just looks like a worse and worse deal for the Knicks as time goes on. The Knicks were in a bad situation because Porzingis (or his brother) was demanding a trade, so they had to find a deal where the salaries would work. They ended up with:
DeAndre Jordan (huge expiring who would never be re-signed)
Wesley Matthews (got waived)
Dennis Smith Jr. (the supposed main piece coming back to New York, but we all know how that’s going)
Meanwhile, the Knicks probably thought they were getting out from under THJ’s oversized contract, and it certainly seemed that way after the trade when THJ’s first partial season with Dallas was nothing exceptional. However, THJ has now proven that he’s at least somewhat worth those eighteen million dollars by being the third banana on a solid playoff team in the West. Is he part of Dallas’ long-term plans? I’m guessing not, but he’s doing well enough now that Mavs fans aren’t totally sick of him like Knicks fans were. That’s the kind of shift in public perception that will ensure that he gets a nice contract somewhere after this one runs out.
Now, going back to that trade, we gotta find a way for Courtney Lee to get minutes. If that means trading him to the Bucks in exchange for Thon Maker, then Cubes should get on the phone and make it happen.