According to SNY's Ian Begley, the Knicks, or at least some within the organization, are now willing to part with RJ Barrett in a deal for Donovan Mitchell.
Barrett, who is eligible as of now for a rookie extension worth as much as $185 million, and is coming off his best NBA season in which he averaged 20 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. But Mitchell is a three-time All-Star that may be too good to pass up as New York continues to find its next elusive star.
"Are you that committed to holding onto him?" Tiki said of Barrett. "My initial gut was, 'I'd be willing to give him up for Donovan Mitchell. I really would.'
"The Knicks need star power. RJ Barrett is almost there, almost. Donovan Mitchell is a star."
BT would also be open to dealing Barrett for Mitchell, especially if it means the rest of the haul to Utah could be lightened to keep the team in play to make another big trade down the road. But right now, it doesn't look like it would be that simple.
"The next deal you make, if you ship out all of your draft assets to Utah…you've got no premium picks to acquire another star, which is their obvious mission," BT said. "Are you able to circumvent with Barrett in a trade with Utah? Here's the problem…the Utah Jazz still want multiple first-round picks, Barrett, and Toppin, IQ or Grimes. It's not Barrett and the picks and nothing else.
"If I were running the Knicks, I'd be genuinely conflicted. I know Barrett's good, but I don't know if he's gonna be much better than this, and I have to give him big money soon."
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