Porzingis Rumors May Haunt Phil, but Trade Talks Have Silver Lining for Knicks

We've reached the point where Phil Jackson gets killed for doing the job we often kill him for not doing.

Think about it: For three years, we've mocked Jackson for how little effort he seems to devote to his position as New York Knicks head honcho. We laugh at reports that teams have trouble reaching him in the lead-up to the trade deadline. We snicker about his late arrival to the NBA Draft Combine or his decision to not attend the ACC tournament, even when it's just a subway ride away in Brooklyn.

All of this, combined with the myriad poor trades and signings and ill-advised barbs and devotion to an outdated system—and let's not forget the losing; wow has there been a lot of losing—have rightfully transformed Jackson, once a revered basketball mind, into a joke. At least that's how many fans, media members and even NBA players and staffers feel.

So when news began to trickle out Tuesday morning that Jackson was considering trading Kristaps Porzingis—perhaps the lone good player Jackson has added to the roster since joining the organization—it's understandable why the knee-jerk reaction was to laugh or, if you're a Knicks fan, cry.

According to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski, who was the first to report that the Knicks were taking calls from opposing teams about Porzingis, Jackson met Monday night with Arizona big man Lauri Markkanen in New York City. Markkanen, a 7-foot forward with a smooth jumper projected to go in the top 10 during Thursday night's NBA draft, confirmed Tuesday morning in an interview at Bleacher Report's office that the meeting took place.

"Not too much," Markkanen said when asked what he could share about the meeting. "I can probably say I went to dinner."

Markkanen added that several members from the Knicks front office were in attendance. Also, he ate steak.

The point of the meeting, according to Wojnarowski's reporting, was to probe whether Markkanen could serve as a worthy replacement for Porzingis. The Knicks own the No. 8 pick overall and, as this line of thinking goes, could use that selection to fill Porzingis' spot if KP were in fact traded.

Adding fuel to the fire: On Tuesday we also learned, courtesy of ESPN's Ian Begley, that the Knicks haven't spoken to Porzingis since he blew off his exit meeting in April. Oh, and the New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy reported that the Boston Celtics are one of the teams interested in Porzingis.

Issac Baldizon/Getty Images

So that's the background. The question is: What should we make of all this?

The easy answer is that Jackson is a buffoon for even considering trading away New York City's beloved unicorn. And, of course, nothing about the job Jackson has done as a basketball executive should make Knicks fans feel optimistic about his ability to flip Porzingis for a fair haul.

But for a second, remove Jackson's past blunders from the equation. Instead, think about these rumors generically: This is the president of a bad and near-hopeless team meeting with as many prospects as possible prior to the draft, and then listening to as many offers as possible for his one asset. Is there something wrong with that? Isn't that the very thing Knicks fans want Jackson to be doing?

"You should meet with as many guys as possible regardless of current interest," an Eastern Conference assistant coach put it to Bleacher Report. "Start getting to know them. You never know when they may cross your path later."

Of course, this is a dangerous game. The Knicks' relationship with Porzingis was already on rocky ground. This information leaking out is only going to make things worse.

But right now all we know is that Jackson is finally acting like a president of basketball operations. That doesn't mean Knicks fans should suddenly trust him. Nor should they tuck away any fear they might have that Jackson elects to flip Porzingis for a pupu platter of triangle-friendly junk.

Right now, though, all we know is that Jackson is familiarizing himself with all his options. That in itself is not something deserving of being mocked.

Yaron Weitzman covers the Knicks, and other things, for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman and listen to his Knicks-themed podcast here.