Knicks Notes: Implications of trade for OG Anunoby, history of talks with Raptors

Several weeks before the 2022 NBA trade deadline, someone from the Knicks reached out to Toronto to ask about OG Anunoby. Armed with a bevy of first-round picks, New York at the time was prepared to include multiple firsts in an Anunoby trade.

Toronto wasn’t interested. The Raptors decided to keep Anunoby at the 2022 trade deadline.

The Knicks continued to check in with Toronto on the 26-year-old. The Raptors and Knicks had advanced talks on Anunoby when New York was in Toronto for a game earlier this month. A few weeks later, the Knicks landed their man. On Saturday, New York and Toronto agreed to a deal that would send Anunoby to the Knicks.

New York sent out RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a 2024 second round pick from the Pistons.

The Raptors sent back Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn.

This is the biggest trade of the Leon Rose era. It carries significant implications for the Knicks and other teams around the league.

Here’s a look at some of those implications:

OG’s FIT

The Knicks, per a league source, loved Anunoby’s well-rounded game and defensive versatility. They feel that he will complement Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle well; at 6-7 with a 7-2 wingspan, Anunoby will be able to defend opposing wings. 

ESPN notes that Anunoby ranks second in defensive half-court matchups against All-Stars in 2022-23.

The Knicks see the 26-year-old Anunoby as a good fit for their timeline. Randle, 29, is the club’s oldest rotation player. Offensively, Anunoby is shooting 44 percent on corner threes (50 percent from the left corner). He’s also shooting 55 percent on threes at the top of the arc.

“He’s tough, gritty, can lock down 1-4 defensively,” one person familiar with New York’s thinking said. “He definitely gives us a chance to get better.”

Anunoby has a player option for the 2024-25 season. You can assume he declines that option and hits free agency. You can also assume that New York feels good about its chances of re-signing Anunoby in free agency. Anunoby is represented by CAA, the agency Knicks president Leon Rose led before he came to the Knicks.

The club inherits Anunoby’s Bird Rights, meaning it can exceed the salary cap to re-sign him in free agency.

That issue will get sorted out in late June/early July. In there here and now, the Knicks see this trade as a consolidation of their talent, a source said. This means there are more touches/shots to spread around.

Barrett had a 27 percent usage this season, higher than Anunoby’s 19 percent usage.

So it’s fair to expect Brunson and Randle to get more touches/attempts with Anunoby on the roster.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Adding Anunoby is a strong move, but the Knicks need more if they want to get past the second round. They have eight tradable first-round picks (four of their own and four that are conditional). They gave up a valuable 2024 second-rounder in the Anunoby deal. They should have a Disabled Player Exception to use via trade. They also have Evan Fournier’s $18 million to use in trades. But they used much of their player capital (Barrett and Quickley) in the Anunoby deal. They could, of course, include Randle, Mitchell Robinson or Quentin Grimes in a trade. 

As SNY reported, several prominent members of the organization have seen Dejounte Murray as a ideal trade target. It’s unknown if Atlanta is open to moving Murray.

WHY IQ? 

Quickley will be a restricted free agent this offseason. The Knicks would have had the opportunity to match any offer Quickley signed this summer. But they were unsure about being able to re-sign Quickley while also signing other rotation players to new deals. That was a factor in moving Quickley. 

Like Anunoby and the Knicks, the Raptors probably doesn’t trade for Quickley without strong confidence that they can re-sign him. Toronto may have competition this summer. San Antonio and Orlando are two teams with cap space who are fans of the 24-year-old. 

The Knicks and Quickley were never particularly close to a deal during talks on a possible rookie extension. There are several reports that Quickley was looking for $25 million per season. As SNY noted earlier, the Knicks and Quickley didn’t have common ground on the structure of a deal. One of the Knicks’ final offers to Quickley was not fully guaranteed; it contained a team option in the final season.

WHAT ABOUT THE MONEY?

The Knicks created some financial flexibility in the deal. They are hard-capped at $172M in salary this season. By shedding roughly $1 million, New York has created more room under the hard-cap. They also shed future salary as Barrett is under contract through 2026-27.

Speaking of Barrett, he should have more opportunities on offense in Toronto while sharing the floor with Scottie Barnes. Barrett was the No. 3 or No. 4 option in New York behind Brunson and Randle. He should have a bigger role with the Raptors, particularly if the franchise moves pending free agent Pascal Siakam.

Indiana is among the teams that has consistently shown interest in Siakam. Executives in touch with Toronto at the G League Showcase in Orlando said the club seemed open to moving Siakam by the 2024 trade deadline. (New York is among the teams who expressed interest in Siakam in recent weeks.)

Barrett, the Knicks’ No. 3 pick in 2019, loved being in New York and loved the idea of remaining with the Knicks, per a source familiar with the matter.

But if he was going to get moved, he saw Toronto as a great option, those sources say.

Obviously, Toronto is Barrett’s home market; he also plays a significant role on the Canadian Men’s National team.