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The New York Knicks and rising star RJ Barrett are in the final stages of a four-year contract extension worth up to $120 million, Barrett’s agent Billy Duffy told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski Monday night. rice field. If signed, the deal would not only complicate the pursuit of Knicks’ Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, but it would also be the first time Barrett has signed a multi-year contract extension since Charlie Ward’s inauguration. ending one of the NBA’s most embarrassing streaks by becoming a New York draft pick in 1999.

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Barrett is poised to become a cornerstone of the franchise in the near future.

The Knicks’ pursuit of Mitchell is now at a crossroads. New York is attempting to trade its All-Star guard, and Barrett was initially absent from those discussions, but his name was reportedly brought up in recent trade talks between the two.

The Knicks reportedly set a Monday night deadline to complete the trade, and otherwise had their sights on signing a deal with Barrett. New York and Utah can trade without Barrett, but both sides will have to go back to the drawing board if they want to complete the deal before opening night. With that in mind, here are three key takeaways about Barrett’s new contract.

poison

Barrett’s contract extension doesn’t technically restrict him from being traded this season, but it does show some oddities as to how his salary counts on such a trade. , the situation does not change at all. He will continue to count towards his salary of $10.9 million in 2022-23 for salary matching purposes in the trade.

However, as a salary in Utah, his cap is much higher. Between now and the start of Barrett’s contract extension during the 2023 offseason, his salary to the Jazz or any other team that acquires him will be the average for the five seasons he’s currently under contract. That’s roughly $26.2 million.

This is more of an annoyance than an actual hindrance, especially since Jazz doesn’t have to pay Barrett a lot of cash upfront. That’s just the number he counted against Cap as part of the deal. The hard part is adjusting the trades within the league’s acceptable trading parameters. In a deal of this magnitude, neither side can pay him more than 125% of the salary it absorbs.

Mitchell makes over $30 million a year, which fortunately gives Jazz some leeway here, but it makes it harder to absorb deals from the New York side. Barrett still only nets the Knicks $10.9 million in annual salary, so the Knicks need to send at least one more big deal to reach that 125% range. Evan Fournier is the name most frequently mentioned in reports.

Again, this is a solvable issue if both sides are fully committed to the deal, but the simple act of giving Barrett this extension suggests the Knicks plan to keep him. If a deal is struck here, it will likely center around draft picks and other young players on the New York roster.

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streak

Despite all the problems the Knicks have had this century, they’ve actually been drafting pretty well. Kristaps Porzingis and David Lee made an All-Star team during their rookie signings in New York. Players such as Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Iman Shumpert and Channing Frye have all gone on to successful careers. New York’s problem is not identifying young talent. have protected it.

Charlie Ward was the Knicks’ final draft pick before Barrett signed a multi-year rookie extension. Porzingis, Gallinari, Chandler, Shumpert and Frey were all traded. Lee left as a free agent after the Knicks signed Amare Stoudemire. Many Knicks busts simply didn’t warrant a new contract.

Ironically, the Knicks signed one of their first-round picks to a huge second deal, but only after he left. The Knicks used his first-round pick of Tim Hardaway Jr. in 2013, traded him in 2015, and paid him $72 million in 2017 to become a restricted free agent. was returned as The offseason was on the verge of breaking the winning streak before Barrett.

In many ways, it was the ultimate symbol of the Knicks’ futility. , the deal with Barrett will allow the Knicks to get past that shameful chapter in team history. For once, they found a young player they really wanted to keep.

young star

The Knicks have done little to make Barrett successful in his career so far. He is surrounded mainly by poor archers. He shares the frontcourt with Julius Randle, who tends to monopolize the ball in half-court settings. He plays for coach Tom Thibodeau, who has a reputation for driving starters into the ground.

Still, Barrett slowly matured and became an excellent young player. His main question about his game going into the NBA was his shot of his three points. He sank more than 40% of his attempts in just his second NBA season. His defense has grown steadily over his three seasons, and spent most of last season defending New York’s toughest opponents.

After a slow start, he averaged 23.6 points, 6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game since New Year’s Day. Recorded. The Knicks have yet to give him the team he deserves for his development, but that could easily change with Branson joining and Mitchell potentially coming.

This was the League of Wings, and New York remained the premier league for four more seasons. His final two years on that deal come after the league signs a new, more lucrative television deal that raises the salary cap significantly. The Knicks stand to benefit greatly from potential spikes. All of their best players have signed up for long-term contracts, and Barrett’s signing up allows the Knicks to turn their attention to Mitchell without Barrett’s status coming to a head all season long.