RJ Barrett did not pretend that watching the New York Knicks celebrate an NBA championship was easy.
The former Knicks forward spent more than four seasons trying to help New York reach that stage. When it finally happened, he was watching from Toronto after the Raptors’ season had ended in the first round.
“At first, I definitely feel a little salty in terms o; we lost, the Raptors lost in the first round, so that hurt,” Barrett said in an interview with CBC Sports. “But if anybody else were to win it, I’m happy they won it.”
It was an honest answer from a player whose fingerprints remain on the Knicks’ championship.
Barrett was not part of the group that lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June. His time in New York — and the trade that sent him away — nevertheless helped form the team that eventually did.
RJ Barrett Remains Connected to New York
The Knicks selected Barrett with the No. 3 pick in the 2019 NBA draft, hoping he could help revive a franchise that had won 17 games the previous season.
He experienced the early stages of that turnaround. Barrett started 297 regular-season games for New York, reached the playoffs three times and helped the Knicks win their first postseason series in a decade in 2023.
Six months later, New York traded Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to Toronto for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn.
It became the rare trade that delivered something meaningful to both sides. Barrett returned home to Canada and received a larger offensive role. Quickley became a fixture in Toronto’s backcourt. Anunoby supplied New York with the versatile defense and efficient scoring that became essential to its championship run.
Barrett told CBC Sports that he remains in contact with friends from his Knicks tenure and called members of the team to congratulate them after New York defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.
“I still have friends over there,” Barrett said. “I’ve called and checked on the guys, said congrats.”
His place in the franchise’s recent history was also acknowledged during the championship celebration.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani mentioned Barrett and Quickley during his speech at the Knicks’ victory rally, honoring former players who contributed to the franchise’s ascent before the championship arrived.
“The mayor gave myself and Quick a shout-out, so we’ll always have ties there,” Barrett said.
Knicks Championship Gives Barrett a New Target
Barrett’s reaction was not purely sentimental. The Knicks’ championship showed what can happen when years of incremental progress are followed by an aggressive, win-now move.
Toronto has since made one of its own, reacquiring Kawhi Leonard in a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Raptors sent Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and substantial draft capital to Los Angeles, bringing back the star who led the franchise to its 2019 championship.
Leonard now joins Barrett, Quickley and Scottie Barnes on a roster whose timeline changed overnight. After Toronto’s first-round exit, the move delivered a clear message: The Raptors are no longer content simply to develop their young core.
Barrett made clear that congratulating his former Knicks teammates did not lessen his ambition in Toronto.
“I’m very happy for them,” Barrett said, “but hoping to bring some of that success over here.”
With Leonard back, that goal no longer sounds distant. The Knicks’ championship may have stung Barrett initially, but it also gave him a model to pursue — and Toronto’s front office has now supplied the most accomplished postseason star in franchise history to help chase it.
RJ Barrett Gets Honest About Knicks Winning NBA Championship