Leading up to the 2019 NBA Draft, there have been several rumors regarding the Cleveland Cavaliers’ interest in trading up in the draft and selecting Duke University standout R.J. Barrett.
If that is part of the Cavs’ draft day plans, they’ll probably want to heed the youngster’s clear expression of desire to end up on the New York Knicks.
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
“I won’t be meeting with any other teams,” Barrett said after his workout with the Knicks. “If that ends up that I’m still there at three, sure I would love for them to take me. This is the place I want to be, so I hope they draft me.”
It’s pretty definitive by his words that Barrett has set his sites solely on the Big Apple. Still, if the Cavs were to somehow trade up to the No. 3 spot, it’s unlikely that Barrett would not honor that.
That being said, it already seemed fairly unlikely for the Cavs to get themselves in position to draft Barrett. Knowing he’d be disappointed by ending up in Cleveland rather than New York makes the incentive for the Cavs quite a bit less.
