Getty RJ Barrett of the New York Knicks looks on during a game against the Boston Celtics.
Should the New York Knicks be interested in landing a new star to add to their core foundation led by Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, SNY’s NBA insider Ian Begley suggests they could feasibly look to strike a deal for Boston Celtics wing Jaylen Brown.
In a recent piece published on June 26, Begley brokedown “the math, pathways and impact” that such a transaction could have on the orange and blue and wound up proposing one specific trade that includes RJ Barrett heading to Beantown.
The meat of the hypothetical package reads as follows:
New York Knicks receive: Jaylen Brown
Boston Celtics receive: RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Draft Compensation
Though the idea of Jaylen Brown departing from the Celtics may be considered a long shot to some considering the club’s president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has already solidified that they wish to hold onto him for the long haul, Begley acknowledged in his piece that there is sound financial-based justification for why the trade rumors have not yet died.
“Brown was named to an All-NBA team this season. That makes him eligible for a “supermax” extension this offseason. For Brown, the extension would be worth $290 million over five years. Jayson Tatum will also be eligible for a supermax extension next summer. His extension will be worth $318 million in total. So Boston has to decide between paying $600 million to Brown and Tatum or breaking up the duo.
“The Celtics have had considerable success in the Brown-Tatum era. They’ve been to three Eastern Conference Finals and one NBA Finals (The Celtics also reached the conference finals in Brown’s rookie season, a year before they drafted Tatum). But the Marcus Smart trade is a strong signal from management that the status quo wasn’t working. Does that mean Boston wants to break up the Brown and Tatum pairing,” Begley wrote.
Though he would ultimately state that the “most likely scenario is Brown signing the supermax extension,” Begley seems to believe that the situation is still worth keeping an eye on.
Should either Brown or the Celtics “want to change course in the future,” the Knicks could have several ways to piece together a worthwhile package, with RJ Barrett and a bevy of draft capital being a strong starting point in hypothetical negotiations.
West Contender a Fan of RJ Barrett
Despite his lacking star pedigree, Knicks wing RJ Barrett has been somewhat of a hot talking point when in relation to trade rumors over the past couple of seasons.
Dating back to the Donovan Mitchell rumblings from last summer, the 23-year-old has seen his name linked to several different teams over the last few years, and now, per Ian Begley, it appears one specific Western Conference contender could have an interest in his services.
In a recent report, the insider noted that the Los Angeles Clippers have people within their organization that are “fans” of Barrett’s.
“I do know — the Clippers over there — there are some fans of RJ Barrett,” Begley said.
TALK TO EM’ @RjBarrett6
Despite some ups and downs, Barrett showed flashes of being a legitimate franchise cornerstone on numerous occasions throughout this past season.
In 73 regular-season games during his fourth NBA campaign, the wing posted solid averages of 19.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
He would up his productivity under the bright lights of the postseason from April 18 through May 10, as he put up averages of 21.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while shooting 47.9% from the floor and 35.8% from deep.
Immanuel Quickley Wants ‘Nine Figures’ With Next Contract
This offseason, soon-to-be fourth-year guard Immanuel Quickley will become eligible for a new contract extension, as is standard for players of his tenure.
Though rumblings to this point have suggested that the Knicks will be looking to re-up with his services at a discount, one league executive recently told Heavy Sports that the 24-year-old is looking to get paid.
“He is going to want nine figures,” the executive said. “And that’s for four years. I can’t say the Knicks will go that high but they might have to. He is not a guy you want to send to restricted free agency.”
IMMANUEL QUICKLEY 🗣️
40 PTS (career-high)
9 AST
5 3PM
14/18 FG
W
Quickley is coming off a career-best campaign in 2022-23 where he posted 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game and, post the All-Star break, averaged 21.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists, shooting 40.1% from distance.
With his efforts, he wound up finishing second in the running for the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award.