RJ Barrett is one of the league’s best young up-and-coming two-way wing players. He was the No. 1 offensive option on the New York Knicks for around half the season, and he is also a good perimeter defender that often takes on the challenge of guarding opposing star-level players. Last season, RJ Barrett averaged 20.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 3.0 APG, though it must be noted that he was fairly inefficient in doing so.
Currently, RJ Barrett is in the last year of his contract, and he has not thus far been given a rookie extension by the New York Knicks. A recent report by Marc Berman of the New York Post revealed that some members of the Knicks organization are not “fully convinced” that RJ Barrett is worth a max contract. Berman noted that the Knicks have to see “how the Mitchell sweepstakes play out”, as the Jazz GM Danny Ainge likely would prefer to “negotiate Barrett’s contract”.
Some in the Knicks organization aren’t fully convinced Barrett is worthy of a maximum rookie contract extension of four years, $185 million despite his scoring-average jump in 2021-2022 to 20.8 points. He shot just 40.6 percent.
Barrett was eligible for the rookie extension on July 1, but the Knicks have to see how the Mitchell sweepstakes plays out. Ainge likely would prefer to negotiate Barrett’s contract.
It remains to be seen if the New York Knicks will end up being able to trade for Donovan Mitchell by moving RJ Barrett or if they end up retaining him. Either path could end up in success for the franchise. It must be noted that the price for Donovan Mitchell was reported as six picks alongside RJ Barrett, which is a lot to give up.
Hopefully, we do see RJ Barrett get a lucrative extension, whether it comes from the New York Knicks or otherwise. He is a fantastic young player, and he still has some untapped potential that could be unlocked in the future.
