Marvin Bagley III
The New York Knicks also offered Kristaps Porzingis to the Sacramento Kings either for Marvin Bagley III or De'Aron Fox. Marvin Bagley III #35 of the Sacramento Kings reacts after making a shot against the Detroit Pistons at Golden 1 Center on January 10, 2019 in Sacramento, California. Getty Images/Ezra Shaw

Kristaps Porzingis is now officially with the Dallas Mavericks following that blockbuster trade that involved DeAndre Jordan, Wes Matthews, and Dennis Smith Jr. But it seems the Mavs were not the only team the Knicks were talking to at that time.

According to the New York Times, the Knicks were also discussing with the Sacramento Kings. The target was Marvin Bagley III and De’Aaron Fox. Talks for both players were made separately and the Kings rejected both pitches by the Knicks.

Talks of a potential trade bogged down with the Kings reportedly concerned on the health of the Latvian center. Porzingis has yet to play a game this NBA season after tearing his ACL back in February 2018. There is no telling how the 7-foot-3 forward will bounce back from the injury, a risk that Sacramento was obviously unwilling to take, Clutchpoints.com reported.

Also, it made no sense for the Kings to trade away their prized rookie. Bagley has been holding up pretty well as a rookie, averaging 13.3 points and 7 rebounds this NBA season. He also owns a decent 51.4-percent shooting clip from the field and 24.5-percent from the three-point region.

In addition, the Kings are having quite an NBA season. They currently sport a 30-26 win-loss record in the Western Conference and remain in the hunt for an NBA playoff seat. They are three games behind the San Antonio Spurs (33-26) and a game ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers (31-27).

With a healthy Bagley, there is no question that the Kings can make the next round. Had they agreed to a Porzingis swap, Sacramento would have ended up with a gaping hole in the middle with Porzingis unlikely to see action this season.

As for Fox, the fifth overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft has been having a breakout season as well. He has improved in most departments of his game. He has become one of the prime defenders in the league today, averaging 2.2 steals per game. This explains why he is ranked sixth in the theft department in the NBA today. It aligns with Fox’s plan to land a spot in the NBA All-Defensive Team, something he says is a personal goal, SacTown Loyalty reported.

With two rising stars in Bagley and Fox, trading them away for Porzingis is clearly justified. The Kings want to make a run now and are looking pretty good as of this writing.

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