RJ Barrett learns every Rose can have its thorns
Knicks guard RJ Barrett controls the ball against the Cavaliers in the first half of an NBA game at Madison Square Garden on April 2. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
It was interesting timing to see the official announcement of the signing of RJ Barrett to a four-year contract extension arrive moments after the story broke that Donovan Mitchell had been traded to the Cavaliers instead of the Knicks.
Coincidental? Maybe. Satisfying to fans? Not so much. Pleasing to Barrett? That remains to be seen.
We are now in the hand-wringing phase of the summer, less than a month ahead of the start of training camp, and already the Knicks are being critiqued for what some feel is their first loss of the season — missing out on the chance to trade for Mitchell.
It’s a reasonable debate whether the asking price from the Utah Jazz would have been an overpay and whether Knicks president Leon Rose should have pulled the trigger to obtain the three-time All-Star guard who was placed on his doorstep. But it’s not the biggest issue, the one that could linger into the season and maybe outlast Rose’s tenure heading up the franchise.
There was little effort made to hide the fact that the Knicks were willing to deal away Barrett, and that is something that might sting a little bit longer.
Let’s go back to the news release and the enthusiastic quote attributed to Rose (let’s be honest; none of us have much of an idea what a quote from him would actually sound like).
“We are thrilled to announce a well-deserved extension for RJ Barrett, a core piece of our team’s foundation,” Rose said in the release. “At only 22 years old, he has elevated his game each season, solidifying himself as a force on both ends of the court. We believe he will continue to improve because of his passion for the game and dedication to his craft. We want to continue to build our team and culture around players like RJ who possess these values and qualities.”
Well, yes, except for that little detail that signing him to the extension came when Rose finally stopped trying to center a trade package around him.
When they weren’t pointing fingers to blame each other, the Knicks spent last season’s disappointing performance pushing Barrett as the face of the franchise, with good reason.
As Julius Randle went through his struggles one season after being serenaded with MVP chants at Madison Square Garden, the 22-year-old Barrett willingly stepped into the void. The Garden embraced him. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau embraced him. And he played exactly the way New York wants its young stars to play, with a feverish intensity on both ends of the floor.
Consider some comments from last season. Asked about the potential contract extension, Barrett said this in April:
“I’ve said it since day one that I wanted to come here. I didn’t work out for any other team. This is where I wanna be. I love playing for the Knicks. I love playing in the Garden. I love how we got to the playoffs last year and looking to do that again. I love everything about being a Knick. Yeah, 100% the place I wanna be.”
While many stars have balked at the spotlight of the Garden, Barrett embraced it. Asked about the pressure of being that man, he said: “First of all, what pressure? There’s no pressure . Nah, it’s not pressure. It’s fun. It’s fun. I feel like just my personality, the type of person I am, no pressure at all.”
Thibodeau agreed, noting: “The thing is if you put everything you have into something, you’re not going to feel pressure . . . You have to have a team of leaders. I think he’s experienced big stages before. Playing at Duke has prepared him for this. He’s wired a certain way. He doesn’t get too high, too low. Comes in every day, gives you what he has. So long as you do that, keep growing, stretch yourself.
“But it’s not only about bringing the best out of yourself but bringing the best out of the group. That’s part of the responsibility that he has.”
So the question is, how could the Knicks consider moving him for anything less than an All-NBA talent?
Mitchell is 6-1 and duplicates much of the skill set of Jalen Brunson. Barrett averaged 20 points, not up to the level of Mitchell’s offensive output, but he’s also 6-6 and was the Knicks’ best perimeter defender.
One person close to Barrett suggested that it isn’t in Barrett’s personality to worry about having been put in the trade package because he’s aware of the business aspects of the game. But he knows, as we all know, that the Rose comment rings hollow right now.
And Barrett likely knows the reality: Even if he takes another step forward, Derrick Rose returns to health and Brunson becomes a key contributor, the Knicks may be better, but they’re far from a finished product.
Just as no one saw a complete teardown in Utah a few months ago, there eventually will be another star on the market, maybe even before this season begins. And if another potential deal comes along, Barrett now knows he is not secure here — that his loyalty to the Knicks was a one-way deal.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
