RJ Barrett

In the peaks and valleys of the overly complex NBA hierarchy, team dynamics and systems can shift and pivot on a day’s notice. At the core of their mechanics, something as small as an ankle or a knee ligament can be the difference maker for teams to reach their ultimate goal or an untimely elimination. The overall path towards a championship is muddled by personal strife, teamwork, and the vastly uncontrollable factor of health.  

It is no secret that the New York Knicks have been through a network of opportunities and blown chances to reach the upper echelon of basketball prowess in this millennium. Not having a banner hang since Clyde Frazier and Willis Reed over 50 years ago is a significant gap and drought in any franchise, hello Toronto Maple Leafs. Years and generations of fans slip through their fair share of personal eras without ever seeing their teams lift the Larry O’Brien trophy. 

Perhaps one of the most tempo and perspective-changing events that happened to the Knicks this past decade was the drafting of RJ Barrett. As someone who studied abroad in Canada for a couple of years, seeing the excitement that New Yorkers felt for having a Canadian top 3 draft pick was exceptionally palpable. In the heart of the Barclay’s Center on draft night you could hear the passion and hope through the roars of the crowd and their embrace of this figure.

A video of the first NBA draft night I attended with my brother-in-law and a substantial core memory.

The Knicks at that point had not picked top 3 since Patrick Ewing, and those are some shoes to fill.

Through his tenure as a Knick, RJ Barrett was continuously endorsed by prominent Canadian brands like Booster Juice, and while he racked up stats in the Garden, he also drew the attention of many Canadians via his participation in the Canadian national team. Their rise and trajectory has been seen clearly by their victory over the United States in the FIBA World Cup in 2023. This is however a normal habit for RJ who knocked off Team USA in the U19 World Cup in 2017 due to an outstanding personal performance.

Returning to the NBA and the Knicks in 2023, after that World Cup performance, I was excited to watch RJ continue to blossom in The Garden. His contributions to the team had assisted the roster in two postseason appearances that many writers and analysts had not expected. However, a dynamic shift was coming.

I had flown into Toronto to visit some friends for New Year’s 2024, which has become a personal tradition of mine since I left the country a few years prior. I have become uncomfortably and intimately familiar with Pearson International Airport. In a car ride from a family Christmas lunch in Strathroy to the Raptors 905 game in ‘Sauga, the news broke. Woj announced that the Raptors were sending OG Anunoby to the Knicks in exchange for RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley. I blurred the tweet together and told my friend what had just occurred. There were a lot of mutual feelings of sadness due to the achievements and contributions both OG had to the Raptors, and what Quickley and RJ had done for the Knicks. You could feel the emotional vacuum suck the air out of the car. The business aspect of the NBA and sports as a whole can be drastically outlined by moments like these. It is common to see these changes, however, when it happens to you it feels like a dagger. 

In the time since, it seems like both teams have benefitted from the trade. As a fan, it is difficult to acknowledge the changes that your team may experience on a day to day basis, but the mechanisms in place to continue to build a dynamic and functional team are forever influenced by these changes. RJ is seeing his best shooting stats ever and Quickly is thriving in a starting role that he so deeply deserves. OG has the highest +/- on a new team ever sitting at the time of writing this at +242 with Jalen Brunson. 

These points have influenced the trajectories of both teams for the better, and although it is tough to see players go, rooting for them in a new environment that is closer to home is probably the healthiest possible outcome.