Getty OG Anunoby #8 of the New York Knicks controls the ball against Naz Reid #11 of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
What’s next for the New York Knicks after acquiring All-Defensive wing OG Anunoby?
The Athletic’s Shams Charania hinted that the Knicks will eye offensive upgrades after losing a combined 35 points between Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett in the trade.
“The Knicks have all the flexibility,” Charania said on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back.“ “They maintained all their assets. They have eight first-round picks to trade … I expect them to prioritize playmaking. They’re always going to have an interest in Karl-Anthony Towns. Nothing has materialized as of yet.”
“They have the pieces, they have the contracts, they have the young players, guys like Quentin Grimes, that you can potentially throw into a trade.”
Towns scored 29 points on 10-18 shooting with 3 3-pointers and added six rebounds and three assists that went for naught against the Knicks on Anunoby’s debut.
Despite the loss, the Minnesota Timberwolves remained on top of the Western Conference.
The are 20 games left before the February 8 trade deadline. Six of Minnesota’s next seven games are against playoff-contending teams.
Time will tell if the Timberwolves, whose roster is about to get really expensive with Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels’ lucrative extensions coming up, will keep on holding on to Towns.
Big Question in Offseason
Unless they go all the way this year, the Timberwolves under their new ownership will stare at a crossroads in the offseason.
If they decide to shave their impending huge luxury tax, the 28-year-old Towns is the top candidate to be moved.
After all, Minnesota has signed his potential replacement, Naz Reid, to a team-friendly $42 million, 3-year deal last summer. Reid has emerged as one of the top candidates for Sixth Man of the Year. The 6-foot-9 Reid is averaging 12.6 points on a 51/40/91 shooting split and 4.4 rebounds despite playing only 22 minutes off the bench.
If and when the Timberwolves finally decide to build around Edwards and save costs, Towns could go in exchange for picks, expiring contracts and team-controlled young players.
The Knicks check all the boxes.
Towns, a New Jersey native and Knicks president Leon Rose’s former client at CAA, will begin his $224 million, four-year max extension with the final year as a player option next season.
But is he the right star for the Knicks that they have been saving all their picks for? Will a Towns-Julius Randle frontcourt work under Tom Thibodeau?
Knicks Are Not All-in on Donovan Mitchell Pursuit
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Knicks are not all-in on a Jalen Brunson-Donovan Mitchell backcourt despite Anunoby’s ability to cover up their defensive deficiencies.
“Initial indications are that the Knicks do not intend to mount an all-out pursuit of Donovan Mitchell. The Cleveland Cavaliers, for that matter, signaled to rival teams throughout December that they aren’t prepared to entertain Mitchell overtures anyway,” Stein wrote in his January 1 Substack newsletter.
Mitchell, a Westchester native, almost came home two summers ago. However, the Knicks refused to go all-in allowing the Cavaliers to scoop him up at the 11th hour.
The Knicks offered Barrett and Quickley at different points of the Mitchell talks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. But the Utah Jazz did not budge and wanted to fleece the Knicks with their cache of first-round picks.