5 teams that should go all out to acquire New York Knicks' Kristaps Porzingis if he demands a trade

Before the start of the NBA season, the rumour mill went into overdrive about Kristaps Porzingis not being happy with Jeff Hornacek, the coach of the New York Knicks. If things turn sour during the season, we can expect the rumour mill to churn out few out-of-the-world trade theories for this talented big man from Latvia.

Here is a look at five teams that need to go all out when Porzingis becomes available:

#5 Cleveland Cavaliers

Armed with the unprotected 2018 Nets draft pick, the chances of acquiring Porzingis during the trade deadline might sound tempting to the Cavs. Along with pick, Cavaliers can consider including Ante Zizic (acquired from the Boston trade for Kyrie), and maybe Tristan Thompson or Kevin Love to sweeten and close the trade.

Adding Porzingis to a lineup of Isaiah Thomas (assuming he returns in the month of January), LeBron James, Tristan Thompson/Kevin Love, and Jae Crowder will make the league, especially the Golden State Warriors, stand up and take notice.

#4 New Orleans Pelicans

Davis and Porzingis on one team would send shivers down the spines of oppositions

Many around the league are expecting Boston to go hard at trading for Anthony Davis if the experiment of the latest NBA twin towers (Davis and Cousins) doesn't work during the 2017-18 season. However, one should not discount the possibility of Dell Demps trying to deal for Porzingis in exchange for one part of the existing twin towers, DeMarcus Cousins.

It will be a straight swap of these two talented centers and I believe that Porzingis will mesh well with Davis. The three-point shooting skills of Porzingis will open the floor for Davis and will immediately turn New Orleans into one of the exciting teams in the league.

#3 San Antonio Spurs

The man to truly unlock Porzingis' potential

Swapping two unhappy star-level players might not be a bad idea at all. The trade will be a straight swap between LaMarcus Aldridge and Kristaps Porzingis. The Spurs, with their attention to detail with regards to coaching and player development, are a legendary organization; somehow, they find a way to transition from one generation to the other without opting for the “process” called tanking.

Porzingis and Kawhi Leonard will be an excellent fit and Gregg Popovich will find it exciting to harness the potential of Porzingis and enjoy another decade-long deep playoff run.

#2 Houston Rockets

With Porzingis in the ranks, Houston may finally be able to usurp the Warriors

If the Chris Paul experiment is still not successful at the All-Star break, the Rockets should look very closely at acquiring Porzingis before the trade deadline.

The old-school basketballers might find adding one more three-point option to a roster that is stocked with a lot of shooters a little strange. However, pairing the Latvian big with James Harden, Eric Gordon, and maybe Paul might be the step that puts the Rockets ahead of the Warriors.

#1 Utah Jazz

Hayward's departure has left a large void which can be filled by Porzingis

After the departure of Gordon Hayward, the Utah Jazz lack a star offensive talent. Trading for Porzingis will immediately make him the franchise cornerstone.

With Rudy Gobert protecting the rim (he averaged a ridiculous 2.6 blocks per game last season) and Porzingis patrolling the paint and the 3-point line at the offensive end, the Jazz will be a fun team to watch.

If the Jazz pull off this trade, it should not come as a surprise if they replace the Warriors as the Western Conference Champions eventually (when the core of the Warriors team is broken up due to cap constraints).