Former Duke star R.J. Barrett is expected to be drafted by the Knicks with the third pick in the upcoming draft. His Duke teammate Zion Williamson is expected to be taken with the first pick by the Pelicans, while Murray State’s Ja Morant is expected to be selected by the Grizzlies with the second pick.
Barrett seems to be just fine with that and recently turned down an offer to workout for the Grizzlies.
Via Yahoo Sports:
The Grizzlies’ ownership group is still telling people around the league the team is locked in on Morant, but the front office has requested to have Barrett in for a private workout — something he has declined but might revisit over the next three weeks, sources told ESPN.
Barrett is scheduled to work out for New York on June 10. As I reported from the combine: Although sources say Barrett would be excited about landing in New York, the Knicks planned to do their due diligence by making calls on trade options and evaluating other prospects in the top 10.
New York has explored the possibility of trading back in the lottery, sources told ESPN, perhaps to acquire pieces that better complement potential high-volume All-Star free agents (such as Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving). Trading the No. 3 pick for the Atlanta Hawks’ two first-rounders (Nos. 8 and 10) is under consideration by the Knicks, one source said.
Barrett clearly isn’t interested in starting his career in Memphis. And why would he be?
If you’re going to end up on a bad team (and the current Knicks team is a bad team) then you might as well doing in a city like New York or Atlanta. Especially as a young, rich athlete.
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