Report: Knicks did not fire assistant as warning to Kristaps Porzingis

Kristaps Porzingis had a close relationship with former New York Knicks assistant coach Josh Longstaff, and there was speculation that the team decided to let him go to send a message to the 21-year-old. According to one report, that is not the case.

Sources told Marc Berman of the New York Post that the Knicks decided they were going to part ways with Longstaff before Porzingis skipped his exit meeting at the end of the season. Longstaff was only informed recently that the team won’t be renewing his contract, but the team made the call long before that.

Longstaff, a former Oklahoma City Thunder assistant who was brought to New York by Derek Fisher, is said to have had a great relationship with Knicks players, particularly Porzingis. He went to Latvia last offseason to work out with Porzingis, and Porzingis’ brother and agent Janis recently said he assumed Longstaff would be joining them in their home country again this summer.

You can understand why people think Jackson, a master of mind games, would part ways with an assistant to fire a warning shot at Porzingis. That narrative is especially interesting when you read the recent reports about Porzingis’ current relationship with the Knicks president, but apparently it is all a coincidence.