Should The Knicks Keep Porzingis After The Season?

For the New York Knicks, the future began long ago when they traded away Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for a lot of people, many are assumed to be helping the future of the Knicks. Now, the guy at the center of the rebuild, Kristaps Porzingis, might leave assuming the Knicks don't keep him, which would also put their future on ice.

Porzingis has an ACL tear, which means he's out for the season, and the Knicks are no longer looking to go after a playoff spot, but after the future. It's understandable, considering that the Knicks would've been a playoff team had Porzingis not gotten hurt. It also means younger players are getting minutes and experience thanks to his absence. But now, the Knicks have a bigger priority for Porzingis: Getting him signed long-term.

Porzingis is eligible for a contract extension after this season and the Knicks would like nothing more than to keep him on. The extension we're talking about is the designated rookie extension, which Porzingis falls under. It's only available to former first-round picks when they enter their fourth season in the league, and it can only be used to one player per team. The extension would add five years to a contract and keep him on the team for six more seasons. It would also come with a salary worth 25 percent of the team's salary cap, with raises possible along the way.

What does this mean? Well, it means Porzingis would make $157 million over five years and keep him in New York through the 2024 season. It sounds like a no-brainer considering that he is now the star of that team. However, there's no guarantee. His brother, Janis, serves as his agent, and has said that Porzingis puts winning over money. That statement could mean he's out of New York after this season.

The Knicks must be very careful, though, because the winning aspect is the one thing that will need to be addressed before Porzingis signs his extension. They have to know if this team will be able to win in a couple of years and if not, then Porzingis will leave after the season. GM Scott Perry will have to sell him on the future and sell him on the ability that he'll be the superstar of this team that can save them when needed, much like LeBron James does with the Cavaliers.

So will the Knicks keep Porzingis or let him walk? It's still too early to tell, as this question would be better suited for March and April, but I think if the Knicks want to be relevant in the league again, they will have to keep Porzingis under wraps for the coming future. We also have to realize, though, that he did end his season with an ACL injury, which puts his ability to play well into question. It isn't great to give him a long-term extension when he's coming off this type of injury, so the Knicks might need time to figure it out and figure out the path forward. Either way, injuries are injuries and lots of players come back from it and play well. Porzingis could very well do that as well.

It's clear that Porzingis is now the Knicks' superstar, and if they want any chance to compete in the league at a high level again, they're going to need Porzingis, injury-prone or not. He's a good scorer and a guy who can count on to bail you out of situations. The Knicks realize that, and they really need to analyze whether or not this deal will work out for their plans for success. The Knicks have made many stupid moves in the past. They better not make another one with Porzingis.