Getty OG Anunoby during Game 5 against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 30.
Following a second-straight Eastern Conference Semifinals berth, the New York Knicks are back at the drawing board. They face multiple free agent decisions, including starting forward OG Anunoby.
The seven-year forward has a $19.9 million player option for 2024-2025 and is expected to decline it and seek a longterm deal.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks predicts he’ll do just that. In a June 17 column predicting free agent futures, he predicts that Anunoby will sign a four-year, $145 million deal.
“Anunoby turns 27 in July and is in the prime of his career, and New York acquired him not as a short-term contributor but to sign for the future,” Marks wrote. “He is one of the top free agents available and should be rewarded with a lucrative contract, likely from New York.”
New York acquired Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors midseason, in exchange for Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett.
He has until June 25 to exercise his player option. Anunoby averaged 14.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1 block per game in 23 regular-season appearances with the Knicks.
There Are Injury Concerns with Anunoby
Any concern over Anunoby’s future in New York lies within his availability.
He appeared in 50 of 82 games this season with various injuries. That’s why Marks suggests a $145 million deal would warrant clauses for games played.
“The durability concerns are why a games-played clause should be included in his next contract,” Marks wrote. “For example, the first three seasons of the $145 million contract would be fully guaranteed. In the event Anunoby plays more than 65 games in any of the next three seasons, the $40.1 million salary in the fourth year would become guaranteed.”
On the other hand, New York is 26-5 all-time when he plays.
According to Cleaning the Glass, the Knicks outscored opponents by 22 points with Anunoby on the floor in the regular season. New York held opponents to 101.8 points per, and with him off the floor, that number rose to 117.2.
Anunoby’s earned a lucrative deal, there’s no debate. But whether or not he’ll reach a number like Marks proposes will hinge entirely on how the Knicks view his injury history.
Knicks Optimistic They Can Re-Sign Anunoby
Regardless of the number, New York feels they’re competing only with themselves for Anunoby’s services.
SNY’s Ian Begley touched on the optimism in the Knicks front office in a June 12 mailbag.
“One thing worth noting on both Anunoby and Hartenstein: The Knicks obviously know that both players will garner strong interest from opposing teams,” Begley wrote. “But even factoring that in, members of the organization felt earlier in the offseason that they were in a good place on both Anunoby and Hartenstein as both players approach their free agencies. That’s according to people in touch with the team after their season ended in a second-round loss to Indiana.”
On the “HoopsHype Podcast” with SNY’s Ian Begley and The New York Post’s Stefan Bondy, Michael Scotto reported a league-wide expectation that Anunoby returns to the Knicks.
“The leaguewide expectation is that OG Anunoby will return to the Knicks. The question is, for how much? From executives I’ve talked to around the league, Anunoby’s floor appears to be $35 million, and his ceiling is a max contract.”
Bondy agrees.
“It depends on the market,” Bondy said. “But I’d be very surprised if the Knicks don’t bring Anunoby back one way or another.”
Anunoby’s free agency will hang over New York’s offseason until there is resolve. Fans are hoping he sticks in the blue and orange. And after trading Barrett and Quickley for him, the Knicks’ front office should be too.