Knicks should prioritize including picks over RJ Barrett in a Donovan Mitchell trade
Including RJ Barrett in a trade for Donovan Mitchell would be a mistake for the New York Knicks. The whole point of acquiring the three-time All-Star should be to pair Barrett and Mitchell together, so adding Barrett along with multiple first-round picks would not be a good idea for New York.
Barrett has been the best prospect the Knicks have had since the moment he was drafted, and he has shown flashes of becoming a perennial All-Star with the potential to become an elite two-way player.
Recent reports have shown that the Knicks are willing to include Barrett in a deal for Mitchell after originally pinning him as untouchable. It’s been reported that Tom Thibodeau would prefer to trade Barrett than Quentin Grimes, which the Knicks should just ignore because Thibodeau has zero idea on how to be a successful general manager. He has shown that in the past with the Minnesota Timberwolves debacle involving Jimmy Butler.
This is not the first time that Thibodeau has shown a willingness to trade RJ, as in Thibs’ first season as head coach, there were reports that Thibs wanted Barrett traded for a win-now veteran like DeMar DeRozan. With all due respect to Thibodeau, he has to shut up because he wants to win a championship so badly that he’s his own worst enemy.
I could write a whole novel about my issues with Thibs, however, I firmly believe he is the best coach the Knicks have since Mike Woodson. Thibodeau has 100% been good for the Knicks in comparison to the horrendous coaching jobs by David Fisher, Kurt Rambis, and David Fizdale. The Thibodeau experience has also been much better than the Jeff Hornacek experience, but I digress.
Keeping RJ Barrett is easily the correct decision to make. A team of Jalen Brunson, Donovan Mitchell, Quentin Grimes, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson would never be anything more than a second-round playoff exit. The Knicks are better off using the duo of Barrett and Mitchell, which could potentially draw an NBA superstar to New York.
The best path to winning an NBA Championship involves both RJ Barrett and Donovan Mitchell. The Knicks are in a prime position to go out and trade for Mitchell while still having assets to make another move and form a team that could draw in a superstar player, which would lead to title contention.
Let Thibs think whatever he wants to think. He knows how to coach defense and he knows how to develop players. Don’t let that man near the front office, and don’t let RJ Barrett near the state of Utah.
