NBA Trade Rumors: Kristaps Porzingis Targeted by Spurs, Raptors, Clippers, More

Multiple teams are reportedly targeting New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis in a potential trade.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat are among the teams with interest.

Wojnarowski and ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported Thursday that Porzingis left the Knicks front office "with the impression" that he prefers to be traded after holding a meeting.

As a result, the Knicks will reportedly field offers leading up to the NBA's Feb. 7 trade deadline.

Per Wojnarowski, Shelburne and Zach Lowe, Porzingis expressed concern about the Knicks' losing ways and their ability to turn it around in the near future during Thursday's meeting.

The 23-year-old Porzingis has not played this season after he suffered a torn ACL this past February.

Prior to getting injured last season, the 7'3" Latvian was averaging 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game en route to being named an All-Star for the first time.

Porzingis is set to become a restricted free agent this offseason, so trading him prior to the deadline would absolve the Knicks from having to negotiate a new contract or getting stuck with matching potential offer sheets.

All five teams Wojnarowski mentioned as suitors for Porzingis are currently in playoff position, but none of them are true contenders aside from the Raptors. 

It is unclear if Porzingis will be able to play at all this season, so trading for him may be a move for the future.

If the Raptors acquire Porzingis, it may be a good way to convince Kawhi Leonard to re-sign rather than testing the free-agent market. Meanwhile, the Clippers could potentially lure Leonard to his hometown of L.A. in free agency with the promise of playing alongside Porzingis.

The Spurs are trending toward another playoff berth this season with DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge leading the way, but they seemingly need another top-end player to be a threat to the Golden State Warriors. Porzingis may be the perfect player for head coach Gregg Popovich to lead the Spurs back to prominence, much like he did with Tim Duncan during his prime.

The Heat were heavily rumored to be pursuing Jimmy Butler when the Minnesota Timberwolves were preparing to move him, but the T-Wolves sent him to the Philadelphia 76ers instead. While Miami has tons of depth but no stars, Porzingis could change that.

The Nets have a chance to return to the playoffs this season for the first time since 2014-15 due to the emergence of young players such as D'Angelo Russell and Jarrett Allen. With Porzingis added to the fold, Brooklyn could have one of the NBA's best young cores.

Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer added that the Dallas Mavericks are also expected to pursue Porzingis.

The Mavericks are led by Rookie of the Year front-runner Luka Doncic, but they also have guard Dennis Smith Jr. and forward Harrison Barnes. Porzingis is often compared to Dirk Nowitzki, and he would have the opportunity to learn under Dirk as a member of the Mavs.

If the 10-40 Knicks do trade Porzingis, there will be a great deal of pressure on the front office to get a strong package of picks and players in return.

If New York is able to do that and then selects a top-end player like Zion Williamson or RJ Barrett with its first-round pick this year, it may finally be on the right track after several years of futility.