Report: Knicks Almost Traded Kristaps Porzingis To Celtics For Kyrie Irving In 2019

According to NBA insider Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the New York Knicks almost traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Boston Celtics for Kyrie Irving in 2019. 

Porzingis, who requested a trade from the Knicks, was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. 

“When the calendar flipped to 2019, as Irving’s second Celtics season drifted closer to the All-Star break — which brought us that hallway footage of Irving and Kevin Durant joining forces — Irving started sharing candid thoughts with members of the franchise about his lack of faith in Boston’s direction,” Fischer wrote. “The Celtics once dreamed of pairing Irving with Anthony Davis. But come late January, when New York’s front office began to quietly pursue deals to move on from Porziņģis, the Celtics and Knicks even held tangible dialogue about swapping Irving for the 7-2 sharpshooter, league sources told Yahoo Sports, before the Mavericks swooped in and sent a package headlined by two first-round picks to New York.”

Irving now plays for the Mavericks, while Porzingis is on the Celtics.

Dallas and Boston face each other in this year’s NBA Finals. 

Porzingis has played for the Knicks, Mavericks, Washington Wizards and Celtics. He has career averages of 19.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.8 blocks. 

Irving, a one-time NBA champion, has career averages of 23.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.4 blocks with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Celtics, Brooklyn Nets and Mavericks. 

Celtics fans despise Irving since the future Hall of Famer told them he would re-sign with Boston before the 2018-19 season. Irving will get booed whenever he touches the ball in Boston during the NBA Finals. 

Porzingis is expected to play in the Finals. The one-time All-Star hasn’t played for the Celtics since suffering a right calf strain in Game 4 of Boston’s first-round series versus the Miami Heat.

The Mavericks are in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011. Meanwhile, the Celtics were in the Finals in 2022.