The New York Knicks weren’t able to win the NBA Draft Lottery and the rights to select Zion Williamson, instead ending up with the No. 3 pick and, likely, Williamson’s Duke teammate.
R.J. Barrett is widely projected to be the third pick, after Williamson and Ja Morant, and on Monday he was in New York to meet with and workout for the Knicks. Afterwards, he met with reporters and told them that this would be his only individual meeting with a team before the draft, saying, “this is the place I want to be.”
R.J. Barrett won't be meeting with any other teams, and says that he wants to be a Knick:
"This is the place I want to be, I hope they draft me" pic.twitter.com/E1i11C1C17
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 10, 2019
There’s a very good chance Barrett gets his wish and ends up with the Knicks, but there’s also the chance New York, which has grand plans for free agency, deals the third pick in an effort to land a star that fits into more of a “win now” mode, most notably Anthony Davis. On Monday we also learned some of what the Pelicans are hoping to get in a Davis deal, and how 2019 draft picks could play in, so while Barrett sees the Knicks as the end all be all, it’s possible he ends up in New Orleans with his Duke teammate, or if NOLA wants someone else, Barrett could slide past that third spot.
