David Fizdale: No Regrets Around Kristaps Porzingis; Exit Won't Hurt FA Plans

New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale has opened up about the blockbuster trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks. 

Speaking to reporters about the deal Friday, Fizdale said he had a good relationship with Porzingis, but the business side of things changed New York's plans:

"We talked (Thursday night). We had a great conversation. And obviously both of us wished each other well, kind of laughed about it, like we never even got to get on the court together like we wanted to.

"But at the end of the day, this league is funny how it works, how things come back around in certain ways, and we left it in a great place. The whole time we were together here, I really felt like we had a good relationship. So I leave with no regrets with that."

Per ESPN.com's Ian Begley, Fizdale doesn't believe Porzingis' departure will impact the team's pursuit of free agents in the future:

"That's not a fair assessment to (Knicks GM) Scott Perry, that's not a fair assessment for me. We just got here. We're trying to build something from the ground up. This isn't for everybody. We're trying to build something that everybody feels valued and included and a part of. But it doesn't mean everybody is going to want to be a part of it. And so that's the kind of environment we're trying to create, to get people that really want to be here, who want to build this with us and unfortunately that wasn't the case."

Porzingis seemed to have problems with Knicks management since he was drafted in 2015. Per Begley, he skipped his exit interview following the 2016-17 season because of frustration with former team president Phil Jackson and the lack of organizational direction. 

Jackson told reporters in June 2017 that he was listening to trade offers for Porzingis, who averaged 18.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game as a 21-year-old in his second season. 

Since tearing his ACL in February 2018, Porzingis has been sidelined with no timetable to return. Mavs owner Mark Cuban told ESPN's Tim MacMahon on Friday that the team doesn't expect the 23-year-old to play this season.

The Knicks were able to create two max contract slots thanks to their trade with the Mavericks. The next step for Fizdale and Perry will be convincing free agents to take their money this summer.