Kristaps Porzingis‘ name has been in trade rumors all week and the big man addressed the news for the first time on Friday.
“It came out and it is what it is. I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes, and I shouldn’t be too worried about it. It can only distract me at the end of the day. I try to focus on being in the moment,” Porzingis said (via Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com).
Mark Cuban and coach Rick Carlisle both denied that Dallas was speaking to other teams about Porzingis, who remains out with a back injury. KP6 doesn’t seem entirely convinced.
“If it’s not in my hands, there’s no point in worrying or putting any extra thought in it. Control what I can control. At the end, it’s a business. I don’t know what’s going on,” Porzingis added.
Several teams, including the Wizards, are monitoring the situation, as we recently passed along.
More NBA Rumors
- The Nets will be active shoppers on the buyout market, coach Steve Nash recently relayed to the media (via Brian Lewis of the New York Post). The franchise is likely to be on the lookout for big men.
- Should the Raptors eye a win-now, impact player on the trade market, it’s likely that Norman Powell will be among the players leaving the franchise, Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes. Powell and Kyle Lowry could both be moved if the team opts to become a seller ahead of the trade deadline. Patrick McCaw, Aron Baynes, and Stanley Johnson are other players that could be included in a deal if Toronto needs to match salary.
- While there are rumors that Lowry would like a trade to the Sixers, his agent, Mark Bartelstein, denies the reports. “That’s just not true…I got on the phone with Masai (Ujiri, Raptors president) and Bobby (Webster, Raptors GM) and let them know that [report] certainly wasn’t coming from us,” said Bartelstein on Sirius XM NBA Radio (h/t Pro Basketball Talk).
- ICYMI: The Cavaliers are predicted to be one of the just three sellers at the trade deadline.
