Knicks Star Being Eyed by Title Contending Team: Report

Getty Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat goes up against Obi Toppin and Cam Reddish of the New York Knicks.

Though RJ Barrett may be the most discussed New York Knicks youngster currently rumored to be coveted by other teams, he is most certainly not the only one that has garnered attention within the NBA trade rumor mill.

In an August 30 article penned by Marc Berman of the New York Post, the beat writer broached the subject of how the franchise is still rather interested in pursuing star guard, Donovan Mitchell, despite having just finalized a four-year, $120 million contract extension with the 22-year-old Barrett.

With the youngster now presumably off the table in trade discussions, Berman suggested that the two parties should look to add a third team into the mix to help New York meet Utah’s current asking price, particularly when it comes to draft capital, and stated that the Los Angeles Lakers could be a possible option, as, per an unnamed source, they are interested in acquiring Knicks wing, Cam Reddish.

Now, this is not the first time that reports have surfaced suggesting that the 17-time league champions could be interested in the 2019 10th overall pick, as Michael A. Scotto of HoopsHype reported that the ball club had discussed the concept of acquiring him in a multi-team deal at last year’s trade deadline that would have also included both the Knicks and Toronto Raptors.

After a one-and-done season with the Duke Blue Devils, Reddish was selected 10th overall by the Atlanta Hawks back in the 2019 NBA draft, where he spent nearly three years and averaged 10.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game before being traded to the Knicks on January 13, 2022.

Lakers Could Help Knicks Land Mitchell

The Los Angeles Lakers could be an ideal third team to have included in any future Donovan Mitchell trade talks between the Utah Jazz and New York Knicks, and Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus believes this is because of how desperate they are to rid themselves of Russell Westbrook’s contract.

“The core concept gets the Knicks off the hook for some of the needed draft compensation to get the deal done, putting that burden on the Lakers, who are still hoping to find a taker for Westbrook,” Pincus wrote.

“The Jazz might prefer Westbrook at $47.1 million over one season over Fournier’s guaranteed $36.9 million over two. If Utah can get off of additional salary, it could save money overall while adding first-round pick(s) from the Lakers.

“Los Angeles may be open to parting with one of its 2027 or 2029 first-round picks to get out of Westbrook.”

At this point in time, it seems as though the Knicks are unwilling to adhere to Utah’s wild trade demands for Donovan Mitchell, particularly when it comes to their asking price of seven first-round picks.

However, if they were to get the Lakers involved, perhaps by offering the idea of sending Reddish to Los Angeles Rob Pelinka and company may be open to throwing in some extra first-round draft capital, be it either their 2027 or 2029 pick, both of which are reported to be of great interest to Jazz CEO Danny Ainge.

‘Virtually Impossible’ Barrett Is Traded

With the recent extension of RJ Barrett, it is the belief of many that this is a sign that the New York Knicks are committing long-term to their young star which, as a result, should keep him out of any further trade discussions involving Donovan Mitchell.

While there are still some who are under the assumption that the fourth-year wing could, in fact, wind up being included in a future outbound package, Jake Fischer of the “Please Don’t Aggregate This” podcast stated on an August 31 episode that per discussions he’s had since the signing, the idea of seeing Barrett traded to Utah is incredibly unlikely.

“I think it is virtually impossible at this point, from conversations I’ve had today, that a Donovan deal gets done with RJ Barrett included,” Fischer said.