Former Duke star and top NBA draft prospect RJ Barrett has made it clear he wants to play for the New York Knicks.
“I won’t be meeting with any other teams,” Barrett told reporters after working out with the Knicks on Monday. “This is the place I want to be, so I hope they draft me.”
Barrett is the No. 3 prospect in the ESPN 100 and projected to be drafted by the Knicks, who have the No. 3 pick, in ESPN’s Jonathan Givony’s latest mock draft.
However, it’s still uncertain if the Knicks end up keeping the pick, as they are among the teams inquiring with the Pelicans about a trade for Anthony Davis, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Barrett, who turns 19 on Friday, broke Duke and ACC freshman scoring records while in college, averaging 22.6 points per game to go along with 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists.
The 6-7 forward was the presumptive No. 1 pick going into his freshman season at Duke, but was quickly overshadowed by the rise of teammate and fellow freshman Zion Williamson.
Williamson is projected to go first in the draft to the Pelicans, followed by Ja Morant, who’s projected to go No. 2 to the Memphis Grizzlies.