Knicks reportedly torn on decision to extend RJ Barrett amidst trade chaos could backfire
The 2022 NBA offseason has been everything but quiet for the New York Knicks. From RJ Barrett signing a four-year extension to the Donovan Mitchell trade drama coming to an end after two long months, Knicks fans haven’t had much time to truly enjoy the offseason.
There’s still over a month left until New York will travel to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies on Oct. 19 in the 2022-23 season opener. Because Donovan Mitchell was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Knicks are now embracing the youth movement, but perhaps not everyone in the front office is on the same page.
For what it’s worth, the majority of the fanbase seems to be ecstatic that Barrett signed an extension. The 22-year-old has improved in each of his three years in the league and he has the potential to become a star. Because RJ’s in New York, plenty of disrespect has been thrown his way, but for the most part, Knicks fans believe in a future led by Barrett.
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, though, New York reportedly didn’t want to sign Barrett to an extension last week.
Knicks need to be on the same page about the RJ Barrett extension
It’s important to keep in mind that this information is coming from an unnamed NBA source, so it could be false, or it could be true. Berman wrote:
"“They didn’t want to pay RJ now, they like RJ, but he’s not one of their guys,’’ the NBA source said. “The preference was to trade him in a Donovan deal. … [I]f they got Donovan without Barrett in the deal, they weren’t going to pay RJ now.’’"
According to that same source, New York reportedly wanted to wait to pay Barrett until mid-October, or perhaps even July 1 of next year when he would’ve been a restricted free agent. The source framed the extension as the Knicks’ last resort once they “caught wind” that the Cavaliers were the front-runners to trade for Mitchell.
There’s a lot there to unpack there. We now know that New York set a deadline last Monday night for the Utah Jazz to come to an agreement on a Mitchell trade, or else Barrett would be extended. That deadline was set because Barrett had been included in trade proposals to Utah and the poison pill provision in an extension would make it difficult to trade him. If the Knicks were high on Barrett’s abilities, they wouldn’t have tried to trade him to the Jazz, right?
Barrett finalizing an extension with New York at the end of August wasn’t necessarily a surprise, but it wasn’t expected, either. That isn’t to say that RJ didn’t deserve to sign an extension, but instead that it would’ve made more sense for him to sign one in mid-October before the start of the season. If the Knicks view Barrett’s extension as a consolation prize after not trading for Mitchell, that isn’t a good look.
Barrett seems to be happy to be staying in New York, especially based on his latest Instagram post. But regardless of whether this unnamed NBA source is telling the truth or not, the truth of the matter is that Barrett could’ve been traded to Utah. Perhaps fans should be thanking Danny Ainge, although that feels strange to even write.
The last thing that the Knicks need is for RJ Barrett to feel as if his extension is something that the organization didn’t want to happen when it did. He’s proven that he’s more than capable of playing in New York, which is a place that isn’t kind to many players.
While the Knicks are now on the lookout for the next disgruntled star to trade for, the last thing that they should want is to have one on their own roster.
