For years, the New York Knicks have been a rumored landing spot for high-caliber NBA players, but they were never really considered by the player. The Knicks were used as leverage so that the player and his agent could make the best of a situation. That is part of the business, as people are always looking to make the best deal.
This year, however, it sounds as if the Knicks have a chance at landing one of those said players. New York has been engaged in trade talks with the Utah Jazz for Donovan Mitchell as the Jazz sound ready to embark on a rebuild.
As a result of those trade talks, there has been a lot of discussion and evaluation about the trade packages that the Knicks could put together. They are the only team that can meet the lofty asking price that Utah has set, as they want draft capital, expiring contracts or players on a rookie scale and team-friendly deals.
New York can provide all of that as Leon Rose has done an excellent job compiling assets since taking over as president of the team. One player that many people assumed would be part of those negotiations is RJ Barrett.
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The No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Barrett has shown flashes of turning into an All-Star caliber player. He has improved every season that he has been in the league, but pegging where he is in the player hierarchy right now is difficult.
He is eligible for an extension this offseason, which according to one general manager, is why his value is perceived to be so low around the league.
“R.J. is extension-eligible,” the GM said to Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney. “That is a tough position. He might want max money or something close to it. He is not going to get it. It’s a tough negotiation for the Knicks with that because you have to commit to $30 million per year for a guy who is very good as a scorer and has potential but has not shown he is an elite player, really. There is interest in R.J. but no one wants to trade for him, then take on the job of negotiating with him. Let the Knicks do that.”
The commentary on RJ Barrett is likely a moot point. The Knicks have already said that they have zero interest in trading him, so evaluating what he would be worth as a trade chip is just material for sports talk shows and radio to debate about.
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Barrett and the Knicks are both confident that an extension can be worked out this offseason. If the Knicks can keep him under the max, even around $30 million annually, they will maintain some flexibility in the future to bring in another max-level player.
Flexibility and maneuverability have been at the heart of every move Rose has made. He wants to put the team in the best position to not only win now but have sustained success in the future for years to come.
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The easiest path to doing that, right now, is keeping RJ Barrett in orange and blue and making him the first first-round pick since Charlie Ward in 1994 to sign a multi-year extension with the team.
