Knicks can’t make mistake of including RJ Barrett in possible Donovan Mitchell trade
There are plenty of reasons to be in favor of Donovan Mitchell being traded to the New York Knicks, but it shouldn’t come at the cost of RJ Barrett.
The 2021-22 season wasn’t what fans hoped it would be after New York finished as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference in 2020-21, but one of the lone bright spots was the emergence of Barrett.
He kicked things into high gear at the start of 2022, causing many to believe that he’s worthy of a maximum rookie extension. Barrett will be eligible to sign one this summer, but that is unless the Knicks have plans to trade him, which they shouldn’t.
Yahoo Sports’ Ben Rohrbach is one of many to create a trade proposal that would land Mitchell in New York. However, to do so, Rohrbach thinks that the Knicks should give up Barrett, Obi Toppin, and a first-round draft pick. Please, no.
The New York Knicks shouldn’t be willing to give up RJ Barrett for Donovan Mitchell.
If Mitchell expresses that he’d like to be traded and is open to going to New York, the Utah Jazz would be silly to not ask for Barrett in return. But that doesn’t mean that the Knicks should oblige.
At the age of 21, Barrett still has an entire career ahead of him. He averaged 20 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3 assists in the 70 games that he played in this past season. Barrett needs to be a more efficient scorer, but that’s something that he can work on during the offseason, and it isn’t a cause to trade him.
Rohrbach wrote that the motivation for New York to make such a trade would be: “Anything for a proven star who can give Madison Square Garden 40 points on any night.” The Knicks aren’t one major piece away from being in the NBA Finals next year, so they shouldn’t be willing to do just “anything” to get Mitchell.
It’d be hard enough to part ways with Toppin, who closed out the season on a tear. He scored a career-high 42 points against the Toronto Raptors on Apr. 10. In the absence of Julius Randle, Toppin proved that he’s capable of being a starter. And if Randle leaves this summer and Toppin stays in New York, that could happen.
Rohrbach’s trade proposal requires the Knicks to be willing to give up too much in Barrett and Toppin. Mitchell will come at a high price, but both current New York players have a bright future.
The Utah guard is more established than Barrett and Toppin, but the Knicks shouldn’t shy away from developing homegrown stars, although keeping Randle could hinder Toppin’s development.
Adding Mitchell into the mix would be fantastic, but it shouldn’t happen at Barrett’s expense.
If the Jazz are interested in Randle, that’s another story. He had a dip in production last season and his actions didn’t always make it look like New York is the place where he wants to be, although he said that it is.
Barrett’s stepped into the role of being the face of the Knicks’ franchise, and New York’s goal should be to get to see both him and Mitchell play together.
The front office would need to give up more for that to happen, but if Utah refuses to negotiate unless Barrett is involved, the Knicks need to reconsider bringing Mitchell “back home.”
