RJ Barrett started his NBA career with the New York Knicks after they selected him with the No. 3 overall pick of the 2019 draft, and he was “happy” they won the championship even if he was feeling a little “salty” because his Toronto Raptors lost in the playoffs.<\/p>\n
“At first, definitely feel a little salty in terms of we lost, the Raptors lost in the first round, so that hurt,” he said during an interview with CBC Sports (4:55 mark) when discussing the team that traded him to Toronto to acquire OG Anunoby. “But if anybody else were to win it, I’m happy they won it. I still have friends over there. I’ve called and checked on the guys, said congrats.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“One of the guys from the team is actually on the Raptors now, so things are cool. The mayor gave myself a quick a shout-out, so we’ll always have ties there. I’m very happy for them, but hoping to bring some of that success over here.”<\/p>\n
That one player who was on the Knicks last year and joined Toronto was Trey Jemison lll, who signed<\/a> a two-way contract with the Raptors this offseason.<\/p>\n As for Barrett, he played well during his tenure with the Knicks, averaging 18.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists a night over the course of 297 games from 2019-20 until they traded him during the 2023-24 campaign.<\/p>\n However, New York never made it past the second round of the playoffs during his tenure and moved him as part of a roster overhaul that also included adding Karl-Anthony Towns to the frontcourt.<\/p>\n