Kendrick Perkins highly critical of ‘diva’ Kristaps Porzingis

June 21, 2019

There are many New York Knicks fans who wish they could have Kristaps Porzingis back to pair with one or two star free agents this offseason, but former NBA big man Kendricks Perkins was fully in favor of the trade the team made to send Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks.

Appearing on ESPN’s “The Jump” Friday, Perkins said Porzingis is not the type of player he would want to build a team around because he doesn’t like big men who are “divas.” He also said he can name 20 players in the NBA whom he would take over Porzingis. You can hear the comments at around the 1:10 mark below:

The Knicks have the most cap room of any team this summer – but will they land the top free agents who'd fill it? Did they really need to trade Kristaps Porzingis to open up that second slot? @KendrickPerkins says even if a second guy doesn't come, he's happy the Knicks dealt KP. pic.twitter.com/Tj2kaGYbSc

— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) June 21, 2019

“I’ve just never been high on a big man that’s a diva, and I feel like he’s a diva to the max,” Perkins said. “I could name 20 players that I’d take over Porzingis right now in this league. … I think they made the right decision. They got him up out of there, with all the off-court issues.”

Porzingis was involved in a physical altercation in his home country of Latvia last month, but the Dallas Mavericks said he was attacked and will not be disciplined over the incident. A video that circulated on social media showed an irate Porzingis walking outside a bar bleeding from the head.

That isn’t the first time Porzingis made headlines for the wrong reasons since the Mavericks acquired him, though his attorney insists the sexual assault allegations against him are completely baseless. No charges have been filed against the 23-year-old.

The sky is seemingly the limit for Porzingis, and he should find plenty of success playing with Luka Doncic in Dallas. We’ll have a better idea in a few year of whether or not Perkins is right that the Knicks made the right deal.