The Knicks stole the show before the NBA trade deadline, trading star forward Kristaps Porzingis just an hour after it was reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that Porzingis was unhappy with the direction of the franchise. The aftermath has produced a flurry of activity as people try to figure out everything from whether Porzingis can play this year to what the Knicks even got in return.
By all accounts, the answer to the latter question is ... not a whole lot. At least for the time being. The Mavericks reportedly agreed to take on the contracts of Courtney Lee and Tim Hardaway Jr., whereas the Knicks received Dennis Smith Jr., Wesley Matthews, DeAndre Jordan and two future first-round picks. Matthews and Jordan are candidates for a buyout, as the Knicks look to free up space for superstars in this summer's enticing free agency.
In the short-term, however, the Knicks have drawn the ire of pretty much everyone on social media. Between how quickly everything happened and the Knicks' seeming eagerness to dump Porzingis, NBA Twitter has been unsurprisingly critical of the deal.
The first thing people noticed was Porzingis and Luka Doncic getting a little chummy at the Mavericks' game in the Garden last night.
THEY KNE W LAST NIGGHT pic.twitter.com/cNuObrHGVq
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 31, 2019
Even Knicks players were a bit blindsided by the trade.
🙄🤷♂️
— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) January 31, 2019
— Kev (@KevKnox) January 31, 2019
Not to mention players around the league.
Lololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololo
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) January 31, 2019
Wow.
— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) January 31, 2019
Even NFL Twitter got in on the fun.
#Mavericks when they heard the trade package the #Knicks would accept for Porzingis pic.twitter.com/zury4w4hu4
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) January 31, 2019
Jason Garrett is not believed to be a part of the package going from Dallas to New York for Kristaps Porzingis.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 31, 2019
However, for the Knicks, all you can do at this point is look forward.
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) January 31, 2019
.@KDTrey5 @KyrieIrving pic.twitter.com/85qdyIasJS
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 31, 2019
New Yorkers are still really good at setting things on fire, at least.
Sacrifice for Zion, the Knicks WILL rebuild. #Knicks #Porzingis pic.twitter.com/kebSBohZsi
— Jeremy (@Jeremyval_) January 31, 2019
But the return didn't seem quite right.
“What was your return for Porzingis”
— Igor (@1IgorP) January 31, 2019
Knicks: pic.twitter.com/rmtdOeZzaL
The Knicks are getting clowned for this right now, but they're really hedging their bets on free agency here. If they go out and fail to get a superstar like Kyrie Irving or Kevin Durant -- maybe both -- the jokes will likely continue. For now, however, the move seems like a long shot, and it's being treated as such.