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The New York Knicks will look to bounce back in 2022-23 after enduring an unbelievably lackluster campaign where they went 37-45 just last season. In order to do this, however, their top-billed talents will need to pave the way early and often with high-end efficiency and stupendous on-court production.
Fourth-year building block RJ Barrett seems to be preparing rather vigorously for the upcoming season and has been getting fans excited for what could be to come with videos of his summer workouts surfacing.
Training with NBA Strategic Skills Coach and Performance Coach Drew Hanlen this offseason, the 22-year-old has managed to put on noticeable mass and has been showing off his stunning athleticism with some stupendous dunk attempts.
Working alongside him behind the scenes have reportedly been several star players from rival teams, with one recent picture showing the Knicks centerpiece focusing in on a session with Miami Heat guard Victor Oladipo.
A two-time All-Star and former All-NBA selection, Oladipo just recently inked an $18.2 million deal with the Miami Heat this offseason after posting impressive averages of 12.4 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.9 rebounds on 47.9% shooting from the field during the 2021-22 regular season and 10.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists during their postseason run.
Despite having struggled with injuries over the past several seasons, the 30-year-old could still prove to be a great workout partner for Barrett, as both are lengthy wings with stellar mid-to-close range scoring abilities who have a high-end motor on the defensive side of the floor.
The young Knicks guard could stand to learn a thing or two from the accomplished veteran.
Utah Interested in Barrett
The biggest news pertaining to the New York Knicks this summer deals with their ongoing talks with the Utah Jazz, as the franchise has been heavily pursuing star guard Donovan Mitchell since Adrian Wojnarowski announced on July 12 that CEO Danny Ainge was willing to listen to offers.
Over the past couple of months, reports have frequently surfaced regarding what could possibly be included in a deal for the three-time All-Star. And while the most consistent reports seem to involve Utah’s desire to land upwards of seven first-round picks, SNY’s Ian Begley reported in an August 23 article that the ball club now has a “strong interest” in acquiring RJ Barrett.
Just this past season, despite the fact that New York had their 17th sub-.500 finish since the turn of the century, Barrett actually went on to have quite an impressive individual campaign.
Through 70 games played, the wing saw himself finish with career-highs in numerous statistical categories, posting averages of 20 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3 assists per contest.
Barrett ‘Overvaluing Himself’ With Contract Desires
Coming in on the fourth and final season of his rookie deal, RJ Barrett is now eligible to enter contract extension talks with the New York Knicks.
The one problem: The two parties don’t seem to see eye to eye on the youngster’s financial value.
While some of his fellow NBA Draft classmates such as Ja Morant and Zion Williamson have already secured max-deals from their respective talks, an anonymous league executive recently informed Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney that, though Barrett should expect a solid payday, it likely won’t come close to what these aforementioned talents received.
“He is overvaluing himself if he is set on the max,” the executive told Deveney. “He is not going to get the max, and the question is, will he fight for it? It’s $180 million over five years. Probably not going to get that. But that will be a starting point for his side and it is a matter of how low the Knicks can get them to go.
“$150 million is probably too much. DeMar DeRozan got $26 million per year and that is probably the ballpark, five years and $120-130 million. He has shown great flashes and great stretches but he has to be more consistent, he needs to be a better shooter to be a No. 1 option.”
Since entering the league as the third overall pick back in 2019, Barrett has managed to establish himself as one of the league’s brightest up-and-coming stars and boasts career averages of 17.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game.
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