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The New York Knicks traded for OG Anunoby and it looks to be the right decision. They’ve played well since his arrival and will look to continue doing so in a loaded Eastern Conference. One issue, however, is that Anunoby enters free agency at the end of the 2023-24 season.
While this could be a concern, the Knicks should feel confident in re-signing him. Making a deal as big as this one and not having any sort of confidence that they’d re-sign him wouldn’t make sense. The only question that should still need sorting out is how much money he’s going to sign for. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, Anunoby will sign for more than the $118 million that the Toronto Raptors could’ve offered him.
“For all his length, Anunoby was characteristically brief during his introductory news conference before the game. He said he was excited to learn New York traded for him once he was phoned by Raptors president Masai Ujiri last Saturday, but he offered nothing further about long-term interest in his new franchise. Anunoby is expected to decline his $19.9 million player option for 2024-25 to reach unrestricted free agency and told reporters further contract conversations would be left to his representation, CAA, which, with the agency’s deep ties throughout Madison Square Garden, has left plenty of expectation among NBA personnel that Anunoby will be finding some agreement far above the four-year, $118 million extension Anunoby was limited to signing but would not have accepted with the Raptors, league sources told Yahoo Sports.”
The contract could require the Knicks to open the checkbook a bit more than they expected, but Anunoby deserves this type of money. He’s arguably the best wing defender in basketball and those aren’t easy to come by in the current landscape of the NBA.
Anunoby Open to Re-Signing in New York
The decision of where OG plays next is ultimately up to him. However, Jake Fischer indicated that they landed Anunoby with the understanding that he could be interested in playing for the Knicks in the future on a cheaper deal.
“The Knicks didn’t land Anunoby without an understanding of his own financial considerations. Anunoby held meetings with several agencies this past offseason when he decided to leave Klutch Sports, telling potential representation he was interested in a larger offensive role that would be commensurate with a salary figure in the ballpark of $40 million in average annual value, league sources told Yahoo Sports. However, Anunoby did leave those potential agents with the impression he would be willing to accept a smaller figure if he were to have landed in New York, sources said.”
If Anunoby would be willing to accept a cheaper deal, this is an even bigger plus for the Knicks as they move forward.
OG Anunoby Is a Championship Basketball Player
Past championship teams have all had wings that can defend at a high level. Just in the past few seasons, players like Andrew Wiggins, PJ Tucker, and others have played huge roles in their teams winning a championship.
It remains to be seen if the Knicks have the talent to win an NBA title, but this move puts them in a better position than they were in before the trade happened.
Anunoby’s defense will be just as important as anything else on the Knicks roster come playoff time.
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