When the German center Ariel Hukporti was acquired by the New York Knicks from the Dallas Mavericks on Draft Day, retired Finnish star Petteri Koponen responded with a fantastic joke.
He said on X, the former Twitter platform, “I’m honored [Knicks], but I’m still going to honor my commitment with Spurs.”
Koponen, 36, retired in 2022 and has since made the switch to coaching. He had just agreed to join the coaching staff of the San Antonio Spurs for the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas this year.
Of course, things may change if a ridiculously large offer came in, plus I received a new hip! “I’m prepared,” he chuckled.
Melvin Ajinca, the 51st overall pick of the Mavericks, was sent by the Knicks in exchange for the 58th overall pick in the entire deal.
What made Koponen, who would have been a rookie at age 36, part of the deal?
“Teams may have to toss in their lowest asset as a throw-in in order to make an NBA trade financially feasible. This may be a player who is hoarded overseas or the draft rights to a guy who will never play in the NBA. It was the latter in the case of the Knicks, according to Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports.
The Long Road to the Knicks for Petteri Koponen
The Philadelphia 76ers selected Koponen with the 30th overall choice in the 2007 NBA Draft.
In 2004, the Golden State Warriors acquired two first-round draft picks from the Mavericks in exchange for big Erick Dampier and former Duke star Christian Laetnner. This marked the beginning of his arduous journey to the Knicks. A year later, in the Eduardo Najera-Rodney White transaction, the Warriors gave one of the Mavericks’ first-round picks (2007) to the Denver Nuggets.
Then, in the Allen Iverson trade in 2006, the Sixers received the first-round pick of the 2007 Mavericks in addition to the Nuggets’ first-round selection.
Koponen ended up being the final selection made in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft by the Mavericks. In exchange for cash consideration and Derrick Byars, the 42nd overall pick, the Sixers transferred Koponen to Portland.
The Trail Blazers and the Nuggets made a three-team transaction in 2011 that included Raymond Felton, Andre Miller, and Koponen’s rights going to the Mavericks.
For thirteen years, Koponen’s rights were owned by the Mavericks during his thriving career as a key member of Finland’s national team and in the Euroleague.
Over the course of six Euroleague seasons, Koponen averaged 7.5 points and 1.8 assists over his career. Throughout his 155 career games, he was a knockdown shooter, making 46% of his 3-point attempts.
When he participated in the Washington Wizards Summer League in 2008, that was the closest he ever got to playing in the NBA.
Knicks’ Trade Frenzy on Draft Day
The Knicks had the No. 24, 25 and 38 picks when they went into the 2024 NBA Draft. But after a confusing game of wheeling and dealing, they wound up with Koponen’s rights, four rookies (No. 25 Pacome Dadiet, No. 34 Tyler Kolek, No. 56 Kevin McCullar Jr., and No. 58 Hukporti), financial considerations, and three more future second-round picks.
Pacome Dadiet was chosen by the Knicks as the 25th overall choice in the first round. They exchanged Kyshawn George, the 24th overall pick, for the 26th and 51st overall picks of the Washington Wizards. The Oklahoma City Thunder received Dillon Jones, the 26th overall pick, in exchange for five more second-round selections.
Leave a Reply