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It was bound to happen, I suppose. Our beloved ex-Knick, Frank Ntilikina, has been languishing on the free agent market for a long time. We all hoped he would find a good home—a team that wouldn’t be irritating to root for. Alas, it appears that Frank will instead go to the loathsome Dallas Mavericks.
Dallas is expected to sign Ntilikina in coming days, league sources say, after the Mavericks were widely expected to draft him in 2017. Ntilikina went No. 8 overall to the Knicks; Dallas selected Dennis Smith Jr. at No. 9.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 15, 2021
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Boy, the Mavs really like acquiring ex-Knicks, don’t they? Dallas already signed Reggie Bullock during the outset of free agency, adding our former starting wing to their collection of Tim Hardaway, Jr., Trey Burke, and the much-despised Kristaps Porzingis. With Frank in the fold, they can now run out their own five-man OAKAAK unit!
It’ll certainly be weird seeing Frank and Kristaps share the floor next season. Those two were supposed to be the pick-and-roll pairing of the future for the Knicks, back when Frank was a rookie and Kristaps was still relatively healthy. There were even rumblings that KP wanted Frank to start over vet Jarrett Jack...that, of course, never came to pass.
While we don’t technically have to root against the Mavs until 2022-23, when the Knicks own their 2023 first-round pick, Knicks fans have grown used to hating the Uni-snake’s club. Will that change now that loveable Frank is soon to join Kristaps? I’m not sure. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.