Knicks News: Steve Mills Explains Why Kristaps Porzingis Didn't Get New Contract

New York Knicks president Steve Mills said the team made the "smart move" by not agreeing to a fourth-year extension with power forward Kristaps Porzingis in advance of the 2018-19 season.

Appearing on The Michael Kay Show on Wednesday (h/t ESPN.com's Ian Begley), Mills explained the move was in the best interest of both the club and the player long-term since it will give the Knicks an additional $10 million to spend next summer: 

"We believe it was the smart move. But primarily because over the summer, Scott and I sat down with KP's brother (Janis Porzingis, Kristaps' agent) and talked about the different options that we have in front of us as it related to his extension. We were clear that the best option to make the Knicks a better team long term and have a better group of guys that KP can grow with long term was to not do the extension at this point. We think it ended up in a situation that's best for the long-term view of the Knicks which ultimately will be the best in the long term view for KP because he'll have a better team that he'll be part of."

Mills was also asked if Porzingis was unhappy the team didn't commit to him before the summer of 2019. He said he believes the two sides are in "a good place" right now: 

"One thing about my relationship with KP is that when he is unhappy about something or disappointed about something he's been very forthright in coming to me and saying, 'Steve you know what? I'm not happy about this.' And throughout this whole process he's been very excited about David Fizdale as the coach, he's been very excited about the players, the young players that we have. And I watch him every day at shootaround, I watch him every day at practice and watch how he's engaged with his teammates so I think we're in a good place." 

Porzingis, 23, will now become a restricted free agent once the Knicks tender a $7.5 million qualifying offer next summer. At that point, the front office will retain the right to match any offer sheet he signs with a competing club. 

The Unicorn Saves the Game

And even though he's recovering from a torn ACL, it would be an outright stunner if the Knicks didn't retain Porzingis on lucrative terms. 

Through his first three seasons, Porzingis has averaged 17.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.0 blocks a game. Last year, he posted tallies of 22.7 points, 6.6 boards and 2.4 blocks on 43.9 percent shooting from the field before he underwent season-ending knee surgery. 

The former No. 4 overall pick does not have a timetable for return. 

"There is no timetable for my type of body, my size and all that," he said last month, per the Associated Press' Brian Mahoney. "So we've done things differently. We've been really conservative and at the same time I've been killing myself working, so we're just going to have to keep moving forward and keep progressing and then see when is the right time for me to be back."