Are Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett tied at the hip?
The next big question revolves around who the foundational pieces are. Looking at their roster, under the assumption that Julius Randle isn’t one of them, that leaves Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett. Those two have to be clear building blocks for the team. The team made Brunson their clear No. 1 priority during the offseason and extended Barrett to a huge extension.
But is that the reality inside the front office for the Knicks? Are these two tied at the hip with this build that the Knicks are in the middle of? I think it’s a fair question to ask and Barrett’s struggles so far this season are only going to bring about more concern.
If there’s one thing clear about New York’s current build is that they’re in the market for another big star. Even after acquiring Brunson, they were in on the pursuit of Donovan Mitchell. If another big start hits the market, the Knicks are expected to be interested.
I suppose the question here is, are Brunson and Barrett completely off-limits? I don’t think that’s something definitive at this point, especially after the struggles the team has had to start the season. But it almost has to be behind closed doors.