What does an RJ Barrett extension mean for a Knicks-Donovan Mitchell trade?
Late Monday night, New York Knicks fans were given a nice surprise. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that RJ Barrett was finalizing a four-year, $120 million extension with New York. The front office reportedly gave Danny Ainge and the Utah Jazz a Monday night deadline to come to an agreement on a Donovan Mitchell trade, or else New York would extend Barrett.
Woj framed the report as if Barrett had been playing a key part in the Knicks and Jazz’s trade talks up until Monday night, and that a Donovan Mitchell trade would now be more difficult for New York to do. According to Woj, the Knicks did include Barrett in trade proposals. Regardless, the belief has been that the 22-year-old wouldn’t be part of the deal.
After all, why would Utah want a player who’s due for a payday such as Barrett? For an organization that’s entering a rebuilding phase, adding Barrett would make no sense. And the truth is that New York could still trade for Donovan Mitchell. Woj echoed that belief on Tuesday morning when he reported the Jazz have zero traction with teams outside of the Knicks in trade talks.
New York Knicks guard RJ Barrett is finalizing a four-year rookie extension that could be worth up to $120 million, his agent Bill Duffy of @BDA_Sports + @WME_Sports told ESPN, complicating the franchise’s offseason trade pursuit of Utah Jazz All-Star Donovan Mitchell. pic.twitter.com/6KkGm4ch8o
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 30, 2022
The Knicks can still trade for Donovan Mitchell even after the RJ Barrett extension
A Knicks-Donovan Mitchell trade isn’t off the table. Here’s a simple, yet important line from New York Post’s Marc Berman’s latest piece:
"“There’s no place for Donovan to go right now,” a league source said. “The Knicks can still get him.”"
As Berman noted, it could put the Knicks in a tough position with Quentin Grimes, who they reportedly don’t have an interest in giving up. But now that Barrett’s received his extension, the Jazz could demand for Grimes to be included, although as mentioned, it never seemed like Barrett going to Utah was a real possibility.
New York can still put together the best package for Mitchell, but the team’s main competition for the three-time All-Star is the Miami Heat. The guard reportedly included Miami, along with New York and Brooklyn, in his three preferred trade destinations.
The consensus is that Donovan Mitchell’s going to be traded before the start of the 2022-23 season, and it could still be to New York. And based on Mitchell’s social media activity, he’s preparing for a trade to happen soon himself.
Donovan Mitchell took "Utah Jazz Guard" out of his Twitter bio 👀 pic.twitter.com/OX280fSr3b
— Sporting News NBA (@sn_nba) August 30, 2022
Leon Rose has stepped right up to the plate to compete with Danny Ainge, and he’s shown that the Knicks aren’t going to succumb to the Jazz’s demands. New York’s long been interested in Donovan Mitchell, and although RJ Barrett’s received an extension, the Knicks can still get Mitchell. Anyways, there’s only one true home for Spida.
