'Several members' of Knicks brass reportedly backed Porzingis trade

The Phil Jackson saga is over in New York, but there are apparently still some holdovers left in the Knicks organization with controversial opinions.

Jackson caused bellyaches throughout the fan base when he started openly shopping young star Kristaps Porzingis in the lead-up to last week's draft, and while his ridiculous demands made the whole thing seem more like a message to Porzingis - who'd irked Jackson by skipping his exit interview at season's end - than a serious attempt to trade him, there were reportedly others in the organization who agreed with the idea.

"Several members" of the Knicks were in favor of trading Porzingis before the draft, and the team had "serious conversations" about a deal with both the Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics, sources told ESPN's Ian Begley.

According to Begley's sources, members of the organization also talked to rookie big man Lauri Markkanen's camp around the same time about the possibility of executing such a trade, presumably because they'd then try to draft him as something of a Porzingis replacement. Markkanen ended up going seventh overall to the Chicago Bulls, one spot ahead of where the Knicks picked.

It's unclear how much influence is wielded by those who supported a Porzingis trade, or whether the team might keep looking to move him. But it seems clear that if they intend to keep him, general manager Steve Mills - who's currently running the Knicks' day-to-day basketball operations - has some damage control to do.