The Knicks officially signed fourth-year small forward RJ Barrett today to a lucrative four-year rookie contract extension that can be worth up to $120MM. Taking a closer look at the deal in the latest edition of their podcast The Mismatch (YouTube video link), Kevin O’Connor and Chris Vernon of The Ringer argue the extension is a smart play for New York. The duo thinks that Barrett, at worst, will be a solid role player, and at best could reach All-Star greatness.
Vernon and O’Connor also both think Barrett will thrive best as a large shooting guard, the same position that undersized All-Star Donovan Mitchell, who was just dealt from the Jazz to the Cavaliers instead of the Knicks, plays.
Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post opines that Barrett’s extension serves as proof positive that team president Leon Rose and the rest of New York’s front office see Barrett as a core building block for the future. Vaccaro notes that Barrett has improved as a shooter each season, and says he’s worth the investment.
There’s more out of Madison Square Garden:
- Rival coaches and executives are weighing in on the team’s decision to extend Barrett, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. “The Knicks normally overpay for decent players,’’ a coach told Berman. “Is RJ ever going to be more than a low efficiency, high usage scorer? Maybe. But maybe not. That’s the point. But they think he’s got a lot of room to get better.’’ An NBA scout offered the following assessment: “RJ is a really good player, but only if he’s surrounded by a really good team. (The Knicks) are a mediocre team, and they have a lot of money tied up in three players (Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle being the other two) who are third/fourth options. That would be the concern. It’s where do they go from here with this much money tied into three players. Are these contracts going to be (tradable) if need be, or you’re stuck with them?’’
- The Knicks had the assets needed to trade for three-time Jazz All-Star Donovan Mitchell, who ultimately was sent to the Cavaliers today in a blockbuster deal. Ian Begley of SNY.tv breaks down New York’s thinking in not going all-in for Mitchell. In addition to being reticent to include three unprotected first-round picks as has been previously reported, Begley writes that the team was hesitant to trade Barrett or Quentin Grimes, both of whom Utah had been interested in adding.
- Deciding to not make a deal for Mitchell may work out for the Knicks, according to Steve Popper of Newsday. Popper writes that a starting backcourt of two 6’1″ guards in Brunson and Mitchell could have put New York at a defensive disadvantage in a league full of bigger, longer guards. Popper wonders if the Knicks will now move on to considering 6’6″ Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, currently trapped on a franchise in the midst of a long-term rebuild.
When can Knicks win championship？
Warriors were the worst team in 2020
Current Knicks are far better than Warriors 2020
Do you give Knicks GM credit?
The Warriors were only bad that season due to injuries, not anything to do with the roster.
‘When can Knicks win championship?’
Not until Dolan sells the team. They’ll always be treading water until then because no big name FA wants to play for Dolan.
They haven’t looked like winning anything for 23 years. And being locked up to mediocre non star players for multiple years isn’t helping. They had to do this trade and they fluffed it
Yet if they gave up the package Cleveland did for Donovan Mitchell you would be saying that they trapped themselves into mediocrity.
Like, I’m all for criticizing NY — there’s plenty of material to work with. But who honestly believes adding Mitchell to the current NY roster made them even close to a contender?
They may be lots of guards taller than Mitchell, but I doubt there’s many that are longer.
And few that are as bad on defense
LOL okc constantly says they aren’t trading SGA and immediately after the knicks miss another star they are connected to him hahahahahaha knicks gonna Kangz
They are not connected to him. Popper was speculating. But even if they were, so what? They should be doing their due diligence there.
You do realize that journalists baselessly speculating has no relation to NYK actually pursuing a player, right?
Would love to get SGA …… probably be cheaper too… I would even go after Wiggins. Been talking about Wiggins since he left TWolves. I guess now. It’s a serious conversation. Bwy lights would love a high flyer like Wiggins. Plus RJ can permanently play the 2.
Just full on team Canada?
Besides being good to great young players. Who play positions of need for Knicks. Yes it would motivate RJ to have a fellow Canadian with him. Oh Canada
I don’t think SGA would be cheaper at all, likely much more expensive
Than Mitchell ?? What’s he done …..
It’s all potential
Do the Knicks hold the picks till the draft and trade for the French kid who they say is #1 pick
Knicks can offer all the number ones for that top pick and whoever owns it won’t make the trade. That talent, cheap rookie contract, control for several years and talent attractor for FAs is a good way to start a rebuild.
Depends who is coaching. They have young talent. But Thibs doesn’t play em
Victor Wembanyama here we come. Cuz these dudes bout to be ass all season.
Can’t wait for the Knick’s next great signing: like Randle, Fournier and Brunson. The front office is doing a great job with the cap space.
Not sure I’d blame them for Randle, though I would personally have waited and paid extra if he did it two years in a row, however they did royally screw up on Fournier. I’d say that deal was even worse than the THJ contract they dished out. At least he brought more to the table and knew how to dribble.
I’m very sure you can blame them for Randle.
They should have waited a year & the potential gain was never comparable to the potential risk.
All of the deals they did that offseason were stupid and even embarrassing. They were only tolerable because they scared the crap out of everyone with the initial reports and the relief made us weak.
Passing on a Mitchell deal is only mildly disappointing given the cost & mismatched roster we’d have had and the fact that Thibs is still stuck to the franchise like a bad smell.
Leon made some good moves but he’s a bit of a clown. The good people he came in with are slowly leaving as Thibs poisons the well leaving only the dregs and yes men. Leon himself is nothing and until he excises the demon king and lets good return we’re all doomed.
The risk went both ways. If Randle came in and duplicated his 20-21 performance last season then they’d be on the hook to give him a max, and that was IF he chose to accept – he could have walked for nothing.
Randle put up 20/10/5 last year but still sucked. Having said that, his contract pays him basically what Brunson is getting paid. It’s not an atrocity.
Fournier’s contract was an abomination though.
Randle is still productive, so I wouldn’t say it’s that terrible of a deal. Might not age great, but certainly not underwater, by any means. Fournier’s last year is a team option, and he is a good shooter, and that is such a premium in the league, I can understand why they signed him, but he’s just a bad fit on a team with bad ball movement, Thibs coaching, etc. I think Brunson and a healthy Rose (if he can ever stay that way at this point) will actually improve guys like Fournier, RJ, Randle, and Robinson.
Maybe. We need to see how Brunson operates in a slow, plodding, crowded unit. The Knicks are not the Mavs and their 4-to-5 out offense with spacing and shooters everywhere.
With the Knicks in recent memory:
-Payton struggled
-Rose struggled in the playoffs and we attributed it to injuries & minutes
-Kemba struggled
-Burks is not a PG and understandably struggled
-Quick showed flashes, but there was no Randle – so it’s to the same unit
-Brunson will be diff because what? Same crowded court, plodding players, not much dynamism
Randle / RJ / Mitch is a combo of players where two have limited to zero gravity in terms of pulling defenders away from the center of the court – and kickouts are either non-existent or the shooters are not high volume 40% shooters from deep (other than Fournier, but you need more than one – this ain’t the early aughts)
Mavs had shooters 1-5, including Brunson in catch-and-shoot 3s. Brunson is 40% from deep in catch-and-shoot situations and he’s in the 30s in pull-up-threes. So we’re either banking on him getting better in pull-ups to keep the defense honest, or someone else has to handle at times so he can catch-and-shoot. But what he does for anyone else is still up in the air if the floor is crowded and spacing is merely a hope.
Credit to Danny Ainge for ultimately extracting max value from both Mitchell and Gobert.
For the Knicks gonna Knick crowd, I think this is actually a departure from previous eras. Phil Jackson would have sold every pick until 2055 to get Donovan Mitchell in the building, and turned the Knicks into Utah-East (at best!).
Barrett showed real potential the second half of last year. Brunson was a bit of an overpay but at least fits a need. It’s possible Grimes might actually be something?
It’s also possible Brunson was a beneficiary of playing next to Luka, Barrett flatlines, and this team is in the lottery next year. We’ll see.
You mean Luka + Finney-Smith + Maxi (previously KP) + THJ (when healthy)
Notice those are all 3pt shooters, and at respectable clips that’ll either keep the D honest or give up 3s.
That’s where the spacing came from. Not simply Luka (although he’s a big part of it)
Don’t disagree but I was thinking more that Brunson would never see the opposing team’s best defender.
Spacing helps, but not having Mikhael Bridges on you is just as important.
Also, Luka is not only one of the premier scorers in the league, he’s probably the best passer, which makes the game easier on everyone and makes the defense have to adjust in ways they won’t have to in NY
Yup. Agree about the best perimeter defender, was actually overlooking that. And now Brunson will be the one handling – instead of being off-ball & benefitting from Luka’s brilliance. Jalen is far more efficient off-ball than he is on (unless there’s spacing lol)
Knicks still have plenty of assets. To make a nice move. I just want Randle to be part of it. Obi1 has to start this yr. He and Brunson can make a nice tandem. Obi runs better than most 4s. Jalen should be looking for him.