David Zalubowski/Associated Press

The Phoenix Suns reportedly could have had power forward Kristaps Porzingis in a trade with the New York Knicks two years ago had they parted with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft.

On the heels of Porzingis getting traded to the Dallas Mavericks in a blockbuster deal Thursday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said on the Woj Pod (h/t Evan Sidery of SBNation) that the Suns had a chance to get Porzingis well before the Mavs landed him: "Oh, they weren't rumors. Phoenix, if they were willing to give up the No. 4 pick, which was Josh Jackson, they would've gotten him."

Instead, the Suns decided to stick with Jackson, and they are currently last in the Western Conference at 11-42.

Following a meeting between the Knicks front office and Porzingis on Thursday, it was determined that he no longer wanted to be part of the organization.

That led to a quickly consummated trade between New York and Dallas in which Porzingis, Courtney Lee, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke were sent to the Mavericks for DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr. and two first-round picks.

The price would have been much less for the Suns had they been willing to part with Jackson.

While Jackson has shown promise in his two NBA seasons, he has come nowhere close to reaching the All-Star level Porzingis has displayed.

So far this season, Jackson is averaging 10.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. As a rookie, he averaged 13.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

Porzingis has yet to play this season due to a torn ACL, but in 48 games last season, he averaged 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks.

While the Suns are stuck at the bottom of the West and haven't reached the playoffs since 2009-10, the Mavs once again appear to be a team on rise led by Porzingis and leading Rookie of the Year candidate Luka Doncic.

Phoenix does have a solid foundation in place, though, with shooting guard Devin Booker and center Deandre Ayton leading the way.

If the Suns manage to get one of the top picks in the 2019 NBA draft as well and come away with a player like Zion Williamson or RJ Barrett, they may finally have a chance to make some headway after struggling for several years.