WASHINGTON — Kristaps Porzingis admits there are things he would change about his departure from the Knicks in a requested trade while recuperating from a knee injury in January 2019.

The former All-Star big man returned to the Wizards’ lineup to score 21 points and grab four rebounds against his former team in a 112-108 Knicks victory on Friday night after missing their previous game with sore ribs.

“Could I go back and do things differently? For sure, from our side,” Porzingis told NBA.com.  “I was hurt. If I kept playing, it would’ve been completely different. I’m young and listening to people and what they’re telling me on what I should do with my career. You don’t know any better. That’s how things went at that time.

“I can only say really good things about the organization because I enjoyed it so much playing there in New York and playing in front of those fans. It was a dream come true. In the moment, I didn’t realize it’s not like that everywhere. New York is a special place. Madison Square Garden is the most special place I had ever played in. But at that moment, I thought it was like that on every team. I had the most fun playing in the Garden.”

Drafted by since-fired team president Phil Jackson, the first sign of unhappiness came when Porzingis skipped an exit meeting following his second NBA campaign, although Porzingis suggested that was not his idea.

“You think I came up with that?” Porzingis asked with a laugh. “It is what it is.”

In his third year, Porzingis was averaging 22.7 points and was named to his first All-Star team when he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in February 2018.

While still recovering the following January, however, Porzingis expressed to the front office that he was unhappy with the direction of the organization. He was dealt to the Mavericks with Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, and most importantly, first-round draft picks in 2021 and 2023.

“I don’t want to go into too much detail, but how things went with the communication wasn’t my style,” Porzingis added. “My style would be different with whatever needed to be done. Maybe it was nothing. My style would’ve been different either way. But I was wrong. I was going with the flow.”

The 7-foot-3 Porzingis, who was traded again from Dallas to Washington at last year’s February deadline, is averaging 22.0 points over 37 appearances this season for the Wizards, who entered Friday night with an 18-24 record.

Now, the 27-year-old Latvia native claims he’s “matured” and his “mind is tougher,” making him better equipped to deal with injuries and criticism.

“Just playing in the Garden, getting that love from the fans and the support, it made me appreciate every person that asked for a picture or an autograph. I appreciated that way more when I was hurt,” Porzingis said. “If I didn’t get hurt in New York, you never know how things could’ve gone. But I can’t keep living with this feeling of regret.

“I have to keep moving forward. I’m really happy here in Washington now. I’m focused on now and what’s coming ahead.”