New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks’ Reddish Seeking Change Of Scenery?

September 1st, 2022 at 10:40am CST by Luke Adams

Knicks forward Cam Reddish would prefer a change of scenery, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post, who hears from a league source that Reddish is seeking a larger role after seeing irregular minutes with the team last season.

Reddish, who was traded from Atlanta to New York in January in exchange for a heavily protected first-round pick, only appeared in three of his first 11 games with the club, logging 21 total minutes during that time as he returned from an ankle injury.

Reddish began to see the court more regularly in February when Quentin Grimes went down with an injury and Kemba Walker reached an agreement to sit out the rest of the season. However, the former Duke Blue Devil suffered a separated shoulder on March 7, prematurely ending his season. In total, Reddish averaged 6.1 PPG on .415/.258/.906 shooting in 15 games (14.3 MPG) for the Knicks.

A full offseason with the Knicks could theoretically pave the way for Reddish, who is celebrating his 23rd birthday today, to earn a more significant role in 2022/23. But he has been mentioned in some trade rumors this offseason, and Berman’s source is skeptical that Tom Thibodeau envisions the forward as an important piece in New York’s rotation.

“The Knicks didn’t have a plan for him,” the source told The Post. “They traded for him without one and still don’t have one. He would like a bigger opportunity somewhere.”

The Lakers reportedly explored the possibility of acquiring Reddish prior to the February trade deadline, and have been mentioned again this summer as a possible suitor.

If the Klutch Sports client ends up in Los Angeles, it might be as a small part of a bigger three-team deal that sends Russell Westbrook to Utah and Donovan Mitchell to New York. It’s also possible that Reddish could be traded to Utah as part of a package for Mitchell, but Berman says there’s no indication the Jazz are targeting the former 10th overall pick.

Reddish also reportedly sought a change of scenery out of Atlanta before being dealt to the Knicks. His minutes per game had dipped to 23.4 MPG with the Hawks in 2021/22 prior to the trade, a step down from the 28.8 MPG he averaged in ’20/21. Following the trade, he expressed a belief that he could become a “legit star,” but for now he’ll just have to prove that he can be a reliable rotation player.

Could Jazz Flip Barrett If They Acquire Him In Mitchell Trade?

September 1st, 2022 at 7:58am CST by Luke Adams

Some teams with interest in Knicks forward RJ Barrett believe they’d have a chance to land him if the Jazz were to acquire him in a Donovan Mitchell trade, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. As Begley explains, while the Jazz are thought to like Barrett, there’s a belief that they’d be open to the idea of flipping him for additional first-round picks if he were included as part of a package for Mitchell.

The Jazz’s potential plans for Barrett may be a moot point. Now that the former No. 3 overall pick has agreed to a four-year extension with the Knicks, the poison pill provision will complicate efforts to include him in any Mitchell trade — the Jazz could still theoretically acquire him, but a third team with cap room may need to get involved to make the salary-matching math work, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks noted in a video segment earlier this week.

NBA Executives Split On RJ Barrett's Potential

August 31st, 2022 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

There aren’t many NBA executives who have a “down-the-middle” take on Knicks forward RJ Barrett, according to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, who says some talent evaluators view him as a future All-Star while others question his shooting ability, his decision making, and/or his touch around the basket. Vecenie explains within his article why he’s a believer in Barrett’s long-term potential.
For more on Barrett’s extension and how it affects Donovan Mitchell trade talks, be sure to check out our Knicks page, which has been busy so far this week.

Knicks/Jazz Rumors: Barrett, Grimes, Toppin, Mitchell

August 30th, 2022 at 6:37pm CST by Rory Maher

The Jazz are high on Knicks wing RJ Barrett and were “pushing” for him to be included in a potential trade for Donovan Mitchell, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. Prior to agreeing to an extension, sources tell Jones that Barrett’s camp was “bracing” for the 22-year-old to be dealt away.

The extension will make including Barrett in a deal extremely difficult due to the “poison pill provision,” though the possibility reportedly remains. As Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype explains, the Jazz don’t have the necessary cap space or a trade exception big enough to absorb Barrett’s incoming salary, so for him to be included, a third team would likely have to be involved for salary-matching purposes.

As Steve Popper of Newsday writes, not everyone in the Knicks organization viewed Barrett as being worth $107MM over four years ($120MM with incentives), and others thought including him in a proposal for Mitchell might make the Jazz less likely to ask for additional draft compensation, which obviously wasn’t the case.

In addition to Barrett, Utah also values second-year guard Quentin Grimes and third-year forward Obi Toppin, according to Jones, who notes that both young players will likely have to part of the trade package if Barrett is not. However, New York has been “very hesitant” to part with Grimes to this point, sources tell Jones.

Like Marc Berman of The New York Post, both Popper and Jones hears the Knicks are still optimistic about landing Mitchell, but as with Grimes, Jones says they have been reluctant to include a “significant number” of unprotected first-round picks because they want to keep their options open for the future.

Jones still views the Knicks and Jazz as the most logical trade partners for Mitchell, but writes that both teams have questions that need answered first. Popper views Mitchell as a questionable fit with Jalen Brunson, and thinks the Knicks shouldn’t trade away all of their own unprotected first-rounders to land him.

According to Adam Zagoria of NJ.com, Mitchell removed the Jazz from his Twitter bio on Tuesday, fueling speculation about the trade talks.

RJ Barrett Hasn’t Been “Ruled Out” Of Donovan Mitchell Trade

August 30th, 2022 at 4:41pm CST by Rory Maher

Despite an agreement on a lucrative extension and significant complications from the “poison pill provision,” sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (video link via The Rally) that Knicks wing RJ Barrett could still be offered in a trade for Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell.

“It’s not expected that he is going to be ruled out of any potential trade, and I’m told through various sources that RJ Barrett could very well end up being in a potential deal and being in offers depending on the framework of a deal,” Charania said.

According to Charania, New York’s latest offer for Mitchell included Barrett and two unprotected first-round picks, but the Jazz wanted more in return for the three-time All-Star, so the Knicks wound up giving Barrett an extension.

As we outline in our glossary entry, a player who signs a rookie scale extension but remains on his rookie contract has different outgoing and incoming salary-matching figures, which is referred to as a “poison pill” — in Barrett’s case, the gap between his outgoing and incoming figures will reportedly exceed $15MM. That would make it extremely challenging for both the Knicks and Jazz to send out and take back a legal amount of salary if Barrett is part of a package for Mitchell.

As Charania notes, the Knicks still have other assets to include in a deal that doesn’t involve Barrett, with the Jazz reportedly prioritizing landing as many unprotected first-rounders as possible. New York remains “hopeful” that it can still land Mitchell without including Barrett, and wouldn’t have extended him if the team thought it would nix a potential deal, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post.

According to Berman, the Lakers are “open to discussions” about a potential three-team trade, and still have interest in Knicks wing Cam Reddish, who received scant playing time after being acquired from Atlanta in January. Charania previously reported that the Lakers are also interested in Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic.

Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News reports (Twitter links) that Barrett’s extension is a straight four-year deal with no options and includes $107MM in guaranteed money. Barrett could earn as much as $120MM from incentives, but he’ll still be making an average of $26.75MM per season from 2023-27.

Donovan Mitchell Trade To Knicks Remains Possible

August 30th, 2022 at 9:11am CST by Arthur Hill

RJ Barrett‘s extension with the Knicks complicates a potential trade for Donovan Mitchell, but it doesn’t close the door entirely, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post.

Sources tell Berman that the Jazz are most interested in stockpiling unprotected first-round picks in return for Mitchell. Berman has reported that Utah wants four unprotected picks in the trade, while New York is only willing to part with two, along with three conditional selections.

A league source indicates that the market for Mitchell remains limited, telling Berman, “There’s no place for Donovan to go right now. The Knicks can still get him.”

Berman also hears that the Jazz would like to expand the trade to include the Lakers and hopefully pick up L.A.’s 2027 and 2029 first-rounders. Berman notes that the Lakers likely have interest in Cam Reddish, whom they pursued at the trade deadline and who saw limited playing time after coming to New York. Reddish is a client of Rich Paul at Klutch Sports, Berman points out, which means LeBron James and Anthony Davis would probably support bringing him to L.A.

There’s more on a potential Mitchell trade to New York:

If Barrett’s new contract takes him out of the equation, Utah could become more focused on landing Quentin Grimes, Berman adds in the same piece. The 22-year-old shooting guard established himself as a fixture in coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation last season, but Berman notes that there would be little chance for him to become a starter in New York with Mitchell and Jalen Brunson on hand.
The Jazz were aware that the Knicks set a Monday night deadline for a Barrett extension, but they didn’t let it impact negotiations, according to Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. She has heard conflicting reports about whether Utah wants Barrett or would be content with a deal that doesn’t include him. Sources tell Todd that both teams are playing hardball right now in trade talks, but there’s still a chance to complete a deal before training camp.
The “poison pill provision” means a third team would have to be included to get Barrett to Utah, ESPN’s Bobby Marks says in a video breakdown of Barrett’s extension. He says a team with cap room, such as the Pacers or Spurs, would have to be willing to take Evan Fournier‘s contract, which is worth nearly $56MM over the next three years.

Knicks Agree To Extend RJ Barrett, Complicating Donovan Mitchell Talks

August 30th, 2022 at 4:51am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks and forward RJ Barrett are finalizing a four-year rookie scale contract extension that could be worth up to $120MM, agent Bill Duffy tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The exact base value of Barrett’s new deal isn’t yet known, but Ian Begley of SNY.tv reports (via Twitter) that there are bonuses tied to All-Star, All-NBA, and All-Defensive selections. In other words, it sounds like the former No. 3 overall pick would have to play at a very high level to earn the full $120MM.

A former star at Duke, Barrett has steadily increased his scoring average in his three NBA seasons with the Knicks, registering a career-high 20.0 PPG in 70 games (34.5 MPG) in 2021/22. He also contributed 5.8 RPG and 3.0 APG while shooting .408/.342/.714 last season. Those shooting marks were a step down from his career bests in ’20/21 (.441/.401/.746).

According to Wojnarowski, the Barrett extension will complicate the Knicks’ discussions with the Jazz about a potential Donovan Mitchell trade. Sources tell ESPN that those talks intensified over the weekend as the two teams made some progress, but there was still a gap between what each side was willing to do.

Knicks president of basketball operations Leon Rose set a Monday night deadline to either agree to a deal for Mitchell or commit to an extension for Barrett, per Wojnarowski, who notes that the “poison pill provision” will now almost certainly ensure that the former Blue Devil won’t be part of a package for Mitchell.

As we outline in our glossary entry, a player who signs a rookie scale extension but remains on his rookie contract has different outgoing and incoming salary-matching figures, which is referred to as a “poison pill” — in Barrett’s case, the gap between his outgoing and incoming figures will exceed $15MM, according to Wojnarowski. That would make it extremely challenging for both the Knicks and Jazz to send out and take back a legal amount of salary if Barrett is part of a package for Mitchell.

As Wojnarowski explains, Barrett was a “staple” in several of the proposals for Mitchell that the Jazz and Knicks discussed, with Utah highly valuing the 22-year-old. While New York had apparently been willing to include Barrett, the two teams were still at an impasse over the possible inclusion of Quentin Grimes and the number of unprotected first-round picks in the package, per ESPN.

It remains possible that the Knicks and Jazz will agree to a deal that doesn’t include Barrett, but that would require the Knicks to give up “far more” draft assets than they’ve been willing to surrender thus far, sources tell Wojnarowski.

For now, the two teams are backing off those trade talks, but the Jazz aren’t engaged in serious discussions with any other suitors about Mitchell, so neither they nor the Knicks have ruled out the possibility of resuming their talks before training camps begin in four weeks.

As Wojnarowski notes, Barrett’s extension will end an ignominious streak for the Knicks, as he’ll become the team’s first first-round pick since Charlie Ward in 1999 to sign a multiyear contract extension following his rookie deal.

Barrett will also become the fifth player to finalize a rookie scale extension this offseason. While his deal won’t be worth as much as the maximum-salary extensions signed by Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, and Darius Garland, it will exceed Keldon Johnson‘s four-year, $74MM contract.

Assuming Barrett’s new extension doesn’t include any options, it will keep him under team control through the 2026/27 season.

Stein’s Latest: Morris, Hornets, Mitchell, Lakers

August 28th, 2022 at 1:46pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Veteran free agent power forward Markieff Morris is under consideration as a reserve acquisition for the Sixers in addition to the Nets, writes Marc Stein in a new article for Substack.

Stein notes that the 32-year-old was known to be a vocal locker room presence while on a star-studded 2019/20 championship-winning Lakers club, and could be a good fit for a Brooklyn team fielding several at-times angsty superstars.

Morris missed most of his 2021/22 season with the Heat due to a major neck injury after entering the season as a key reserve. In his 17 available regular season games with Miami, Morris averaged 7.6 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 1.4 APG. The 6’9″ big man out of Kansas posted a shooting line of .474/.333/.889.

Here’s more from Stein:

As the Hornets consider reserve point guard options behind developing All-Star LaMelo Ball, the team has broadened its list of potential targets to include former Suns point guard Elfrid Payton, according to Stein. Isaiah Thomas, who fulfilled the role adequately last season, is still being looked at, as is Pistons point guard Kemba Walker, a three-time All-Star while with Charlotte whom Stein expects to be bought out of his current deal.
The Lakers‘ 2027 and 2029 first-round draft selections, along with the expiring contract of incumbent point guard Russell Westbrook, could be used to help complete a three-team Donovan Mitchell trade for the Jazz, either with the Knicks or even another suitor. Stein writes that the draft picks could hold significant appeal for Jazz team president Danny Ainge, who earlier this summer received quite a bounty in future draft equity as part of his blockbuster deal that shipped former Utah All-Star Rudy Gobert out to the Timberwolves.
Stein cautions that the Lakers, who leveraged a lot of future draft picks in their trade for Anthony Davis, remain fairly protective of the 2027 and 2029 picks. Given that L.A. is fielding a team with (currently) three maximum-salaried veterans all with at least 10 years of experience, one would expect the club to very much be in win-now mode, but the team only wants to make a move if it values the returning players as being worth the sacrifice. Stein defines that as players who can help the team return to its standing as a championship contender, following a disappointing 33-49 season that saw the Lakers on the outside of the play-in tournament looking in.

Knicks Notes: Randle, Payne, Mitchell, Anthony

August 27th, 2022 at 9:29pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks may want to find a taker for Julius Randle, but they haven’t been willing to part with any first-round picks in a potential trade, Fred Katz of The Athletic writes in his latest mailbag column.

Randle is about to enter the first season of the four-year, $117MM extension that he signed after receiving second-team All-NBA honors in 2020/21. That price tag makes it difficult to move him without some other assets attached. Randle is also coming off a disappointing season that featured not only a decline in production, but frequent battles with fans and the media. Katz notes that Randle finished last in effective field goal percentage last season among 112 players rated by Basketball-Reference, and the Knicks were worse by nearly 10 points per 100 possessions when he was on the court.

However, Katz believes Randle’s production was affected by the rest of the roster. Katz says New York had the worst point guard play late in the season of any team that wasn’t trying to tank, and the addition of Jalen Brunson, and possibly Donovan Mitchell, should have a positive effect on Randle.

There’s more from New York:

Former Knicks assistant Kenny Payne, now the head coach at Louisville, is credited with helping Randle become a star, but he may have been sending counterproductive messages last season, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. While head coach Tom Thibodeau wanted Randle to share the ball more often, Payne was allegedly pumping up Randle’s ego and telling him he was still “the man.” Berman speculates that Randle would benefit from a deal for Mitchell, especially if the price includes Obi Toppin, whom Knicks fans often chanted for when Randle was on the court, and Evan Fournier, whom Randle clashed with in their first season as teammates.
The Knicks need to be careful that they don’t overpay Utah for Mitchell, argues Steve Popper of Newsday. He notes that although several other teams have expressed interest in Mitchell, nobody has been willing to meet Danny Ainge‘s asking price. Popper points out that the Knicks’ backcourt is already better than it was last season through the addition of Brunson and the return of Derrick Rose.
Carmelo Anthony has interest in returning to New York, where he played from 2011 to 2017, Jake Fischer said on his “Please Don’t Aggregate This” podcast. However, Fischer adds that the Knicks may not share Anthony’s desire for a reunion.

Jazz Trying To Get Best Mitchell Offers Before Training Camp

August 26th, 2022 at 10:00pm CST by Rory Maher

The Jazz are trying to get the best trade offers for Donovan Mitchell, particularly from the Knicks, before training camp opens in September, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon said on the latest episode of The Hoop Collective podcast

Windhorst characterized training camp as an “arbitrary deadline” for the Jazz, noting that it’s a typical negotiating tactic to apply pressure in order to get the best offers.

“Basically they’re trying trying to get the Knicks to put the kind of offer that it will take to get Donovan Mitchell on the table before training camp,” MacMahon said, adding that the Jazz would prefer to avoid first-year head coach Will Hardy having to deal with a “circus” in camp.

ESPN’s Tim Bontemps observed that it would behoove both teams to make the trade before camp opens, and MacMahon explained why that’s the case.

“If you’re the Knicks, you’re trying to get this guy and have him be your franchise player, him and (Jalen) Brunson be your new backcourt for now and for years to come,” MacMahon said.

“You want as much time with those guys in the gym together practicing as possible. So I think it’s in both teams’ best interests to get a deal done before camp starts. But it is an artificial deadline, and we all understand that (Jazz president) Danny Ainge is not going to pull the trigger until he gets his price.”

Despite it being less than ideal, holding onto Mitchell into the season is still a viable option for Utah because he still has three years left on his contract, with a fourth-year player option in 2025/26.

While the Cavaliers have reportedly “removed themselves” from Mitchell talks, Windhorst provided an interesting tidbit about the situation before that report came to light.

“Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and Darius Garland, those three guys, I heard the Cavs told the Jazz they’re not available,” Windhorst said.

It makes sense that the Cavs would be reluctant to part with their three core players. Both Garland and Allen were first-time All-Stars last season, Mobley was the runner-up for Rookie of the Year, and all three are under contract for multiple seasons.

It’s possible the Jazz said we need one of these three players in return to make a deal and the Cavs ended the discussions, though that’s pure speculation on my part.