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The New York Knicks nearly traded away one of their young pillars, RJ Barrett, as part of the proposed Donovan Mitchell package last summer. They will not hesitate to do that again if a star becomes available, according to a rival general manager.
“[Barrett] will be a piece if they make a major deal,” an Eastern Conference general manager told Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney. “They’re not going to just trade RJ as the main component of a trade, but if they want to get [Damian] Lillard or KAT (Karl-Anthony Towns) or even OG Anunoby or (Pascal) Siakam, it is probably going to mean including him. But if it is not a player like that, then they will keep RJ and maybe try to move him next summer if he does not take that step forward.”
Barrett’s poison pill will be lifted on July 1 when the free agency begins, erasing the complication of salary matching in a potential trade when using his incoming $23.8 million salary for next season in Year One of the four-year, $107 million rookie extension he signed last summer.
“They overpaid him. They were hoping for a step forward from him, but that was not going to happen once you bring in Jalen Brunson, too. Still, RJ’s shooting, his efficiency, it has got to worry you. He has it in his game, but he has to keep it more consistent,” the rival GM added.
RJ Barrett’s up-and-Down Season
The 22-year-old Barrett improved in his overall shooting percentage — from 40.8% to 43.4% — and free throw accuracy — from 71.4% to 74.0% — but across the board, his numbers regressed. The former third overall pick averaged 19.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists as he groped for form and struggled to adjust as the third banana next to the Knicks’ new 1-2 punch Brunson and Julius Randle.
Barrett’s 3-point shot regressed to the mean, sinking a career-worst 31% over 73 regular-season games. But he adjusted as the season wore on, attacking the paint more, and his numbers improved as New York coach Tom Thibodeau staggered his minutes with the starters and the second unit.
After struggling in the first two games in the playoffs, Barrett turned things around as he looked like the player the Knicks signed to the richest deal in their franchise history.
From Game 3 of the Cleveland series to Game 5 of the second round against Miami, Barrett averaged 22.5 points on 50/38/72 shooting split with 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists. But he ended his second playoff stint on a sour note, shooting just 1-for-10, including 0-for-3 from deep, in Game 6, where the Knicks lost by only four, 96-92, to the Heat.
RJ Barrett Takes Accountability
After his horrible shooting in the elimination game against the Heat on May 12, Barrett owned it and was hard on himself.
“I played terrible,” Barrett told reporters at that time. “I’m very disappointed in how I played today. It’s a lot right now. You fight for something. You want something so bad—I don’t feel like I played my best, so it hurts, but it’s good to have experiences like these, you can learn from them. [The Heat] are a very good team, very experienced, very poised, so we can learn from that.”
Barrett vowed to come back strong next year.
“It was a good year overall for us— just being able to [reach this far] with adding [Brunson] and the team and stuff like that so we’re just gonna sit with this one for a little bit, figure it out and come back stronger next year,” Barrett added.
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