Kristaps Porzingis still remains hopeful that the NBA can resume this summer, but the former Knicks star fully understands why he might not get the chance to appear in postseason play for the first time.

Porzingis’ current team, the Dallas Mavericks, were in the No. 7 playoff position in the Western Conference — 10 games clear of the playoff cutoff — when play was suspended March 11 after Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert first tested positive for COVID-19.

“At the end, this is much bigger than an NBA season or sports in general,” Porzingis told SiriusXM NBA Radio. “So, of course I would’ve loved — and hopefully we still do it — to get that first playoff experience. Whatever happens, I still have a lot of time in my career to still achieve that.”

Porzingis and three others were traded to the Mavericks for cap space, draft picks, expiring contracts and guard Dennis Smith Jr. on Jan. 31, 2019, nearly one year after the 7-foot-3 forward known as the Unicorn had suffered a torn ACL in his left knee on Feb. 6, 2018.

Porzingis has since has inked a five-year contract extension worth $158 million with owner Mark Cuban’s Mavericks.

“The main thing for me has always been winning, and as soon as I arrived, you could see little things, little details, how they did things that were different,” Porzingis said. “And probably each organization has their own way of doing things, their own culture, and arriving here it was a transition year. Dirk [Nowitzki] was finishing his career and we were looking into the future, into the next season, and this is our first year together. And I feel like we’re just getting started. And we have the confidence that we have the right people around us that we can go far.”

The 24-year-old Porzingis also said during the interview that he initially believed he could continue playing on the night of his injury, but he never would appear in another game for the Knicks.

According to Porzingis, he “actually tried to get back in (the) game” that night and told family members he still believed he’d make his first career All-Star appearance two weeks later until an MRI exam revealed the tear in his knee.

“You see that stuff happening to players, but you never think it’s going to be you,” he said. “It was a weird feeling that went through my body. A terrible, terrible feeling. So after they told me, I was just devastated. And I was like, ‘Alright, this happened, I can’t go back and change it now and whatever is next, I’m looking forward to it now, and whatever I can do to get back on the court,’ that was my mindset.”

Still, during his rehabilitation, Porzingis expressed displeasure with the Knicks’ direction and he was jettisoned by then-president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry in the ill-fated attempt to clear enough cap space to pursue multiple marquee free agents, such as current Nets Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Of course, the Knicks failed to land any of their intended targets last summer. They canned both Mills and head coach David Fizdale during a 21-45 campaign in 2019-20, their 16th losing season in 19 years.

Conversely, Porzingis has averaged 19.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game this season, alongside breakout superstar Luka Doncic for the 40-27 Mavs.

“I was really getting into a good rhythm,” Porzingis said. “I think it took me a few months to adjust to a lot of things. Not only coming back from an injury, but getting used to a new organization, a new coach, a new system, playing alongside a guy like Luka. All those things played a factor.

“I felt like I was playing really good basketball. But there are always going to be ups and downs. The main thing is that I have a clear mind on what I want to achieve and keep going in that direction and just keep growing as a player.”