Report: Knicks finalizing four-year extension with RJ Barrett originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
RJ Barrett isn’t heading to Utah, at least not yet.
The Knicks reportedly are finalizing a four-year rookie extension with the 22-year-old guard. The deal could be worth up to $120 million.
Barrett’s deal also includes a “poison pill” provision, which will make it difficult to include him in a trade for Utah Jazz All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell.
Throughout the Knicks’ pursuit of Mitchell, Barrett’s name has often come up in trade talks.
New York president of basketball operations Leon Rose set a Monday deadline to either agree to a Barrett-for-Mitchell trade or agree to an extension with Barrett, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. He also reported that a potential Mitchell-to-the-Knicks deal remains possible.
Barrett has improved each year since the Knicks drafted him at No. 3 overall out of Duke in 2019. He averaged a career-best 20 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last season.
With the deal, Barrett becomes the Knicks’ first first-round draft pick to agree to a multi-year extension after his rookie contract since Charlie Ward in 1999.