The Knicks not-so-curiously announced RJ Barrett's four-year extension just minutes before news broke of Donovan Mitchell being traded to the Cavaliers, where Leon Rose described the 22-year-old as a core piece to New York's foundation.
But, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Knicks would have preferred not to sign Barrett at this point, instead preferring to work out a deal at the mid-October deadline, or even next summer when he became a restricted free agent.
Per Berman, the Knicks would have preferred to trade Barrett for Mitchell, and Barrett is "not one of their guys," referring to the Rose-led regime that was not in place when Barrett was taken third overall in the 2019 draft.
Berman also notes that the Knicks were unable to make a final offer after the Jazz received one from the Cavaliers that they ultimately accepted, and that Danny Ainge preferred to keep Mitchell away from New York. So, perhaps the pursuit of Mitchell was doomed from the start unless New York agreed to an astronomically high price, but it does appear the franchise wanted Mitchell and were willing to part with Barrett, who they still don't seem to be sold on despite the recent extension.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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