While the Knicks' trade of Kristaps Porzingis in January to the Mavericks seemingly caught everyone by surprise, the team had previously considered moving the young star months prior.

According to Zach Lowe of ESPN, the Knicks offered Porzingis to the Kings prior to last year's NBA Draft for a package that started with guard De'Aaron Fox. Obviously, the Kings declined the offer, and Porzingis was ultimately shipped off later. And this was a time where the Kings were also considering drafting Luka Doncic. Per Lowe:

"Rivals sensed the dilemma and made offers for Fox -- including a template from the New York Knicks centered around Kristaps Porzingis that would have required Sacramento to either send something beyond Fox or take unwanted Knicks salary (or both), sources say."

To complete the proposed deal, the Knicks could have acquired another asset from the Kings through the deal, or simply unloaded money tied up to veterans on the roster -- which was the case in the deal with the Mavericks.

The offer came following Fox's subpar rookie season, in which he shot 41 percent and averaged 11.6 points per game with 4.4 assists. The University of Kentucky product took a step forward during his second season in the league and is now scoring 17.4 ppg on 45.7 percent shooting and 7.2 assists per contest.

Porzingis, who suffered a torn ACL last year, has not played this season and is expected to return at the start of the 2019-2020 season.

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