NBA

NBA Rumors: New York’s RJ Barrett ‘will be a piece’ in a major trade deal this summer

RJ-Barrett-1040x572

RJ Barrett is becoming quite the entaglement for the New York front office, especially considering he comes from signing a four-year $120 million extension deal and many believed he underperformed this season. According to reporter Sean Deveney from Heavy.com, a general manager from the Eastern Conference is certain that the 22-year-old will be traded out this summer.  

So, the player’s contract extension might prove to be ironic as these recent rumors advise all the Knicks fans to not get too attached to him.

“He will be a piece if they make a major deal,” the excecutive assured the press. “They’re not going to just trade RJ as the main component of a trade, but if they want to get (Damian) Lillard or KAT (Karl-Anthony Towns) or even OG Anunoby or (Pascal) Siakam, it is probably going to mean including him.”

The young player currently holds a $23.8 million cap hit after the first year of his extension, but any potential transfer involving Barrett would probably occur after July 1, considering that until that date he carries a restriction involving his salary having to match future deals.

The thing is, if he actually leaves New York during the summer, it would have to be for a big deal. Let’s remember that the 22-year-old was the third overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, and even if some believe he wasn’t at his best this campaign, he still averaged 19.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest.

The unknown general manager explained that the Knicks would be willing to “keep RJ and maybe try to move him next summer if he does not take that step forward” as they are aware of the great implications behind his departure.