Getty Tyler Herro (R) and RJ Barrett (L) both signed extensions.
It was a good offseason for New York Knicks forward RJ Barrett as he wasn’t traded to Utah Jazz and also signed his rookie extension that’ll pay him north of $100 million over four years.
He also broke a streak dating back to 1999 with Charlie Ward by signing this extension, so he’s a record-breaker in that regard, but not every fan is happy with how things went down.
Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro, also drafted in Barrett’s draft class, was due for his own pay raise as well. The Heat ended up giving him one, and it was even bigger than Barrett’s.
Herro’s extension is over the same four years, but it’ll pay $130 million, making it about $20 million more lucrative than Barrett’s.
Naturally, Knicks fans have something to say about that.
Fans Slam Herro’s Contract
I’ve been pondering this for the better part of the day and haven’t come up with a clear answer, but with extensions in place how much more would MIA have to include with Herro for you to consider taking him straight up for RJB?
While the two players are in wildly different situations, fans can’t help but compare the two since the extensions came just weeks apart from each other.
The Athletic’s Seth Partnow seemed to have taken a side in believing Barrett was better than Herro, and posed a question of how much would the Heat have to offer on top of Herro to get Barrett in Miami.
“I’ve been pondering this for the better part of the day and haven’t come up with a clear answer, but with extensions in place how much more would MIA have to include with Herro for you to consider taking him straight up for RJB?” he asked.
Twitter account ObiMuse pointed out that the combined contracts of Barrett and Julius Randle are just $10 million lower than Herro and Duncan Robinson, with the latter of the Heat duo basically being out of the rotation.
“You #NBATwitter geniuses wanna re-think what you’re calling an overpay yet?” the account said.
“Remember when RJ Barrett dropped 46 on the Heat & Tyler Herro?” said another fan with a highlight clip attached.
Remember when RJ Barrett dropped 46 on the Heat & Tyler Herro?
As it stands, it looks like Knicks fans are happy with their guy and they believe Herro to be an overpay. In the grand scheme of things, Herro isn’t really getting paid all that much more, but some fans are still taking it as a slight.
If things really pan out the way they believe, and Barrett will blossom into an All-Star, then this contract will end up looking like a steal down the road.
Barrett Keeps Improving
Every season Barrett has been in the league, he has gotten better. Last season he averaged 20 points per game, a career high, and if he can bring that even higher, an All-Star season might not be out of reach.
He arguably has the best supporting cast around him this season with Jalen Brunson in town, so he will have some more opportunities thanks to the lead guard’s playmaking abilities. Of course, he’ll have to make his own improvements in shooting as he shot around 40 percent last season.
If that bumps up a few percentage points, his scoring average will likely climb with it and the Knicks could “shock the world” like he says they can.