Getty OG Anunoby, potential target of Knicks trade rumors
Entering the 2023-24 NBA season, we had a grip on where the Knicks were as an organization. This is a pretty good team, with the potential to get to the second round of the playoffs. It also has some very tradeable assets that should make for many Knicks trade rumors this winter.
Six weeks into the season, and that opinion has not changed. The Knicks are good, and have rallied from a 2-4 start to win 10 of their last 13, but they’re not yet among the Eastern Conference’s elite. They need a bit more to get there. And at Bleacher Report, there is a trade proposal that would surely push them up to near-elite status in the conference.
It’s a three-teamer that sees Toronto finally break up its core and begin a rebuild in earnest. Here goes:
Warriors Receive: Pascal Siakam and Isaiah Hartenstein
Raptors Receive: Andrew Wiggins, Evan Fournier, Jonathan Kuminga, Quentin Grimes, a 2024 first-round pick from New York, a 2028 first-round pick from New York and a 2028 first-round pick from Golden State
Knicks Receive: OG Anunoby, Moses Moody, Gary Payton II
OG Anunoby A Perfect Fit
These are the kind of New York Knicks trade rumors any fan should get behind. The Knicks would have to dump two first-rounders and Quentin Grimes, as well as the expiring deal of Evan Fournier. No problem there. The sting of those losses is more than offset by adding Anunoby, a 26-year-old two-way player who can defend the perimeter and shoot the 3. He is in the third year of a four-year, $72 million contract, but has a player option next summer.
And the Moody-Payton combo is nothing to scoff at either—both would have a chance to make the rotation with the Knicks, despite how heavy it is on guards.
To do a deal like this without having to give up R.J. Barrett or Immanuel Quickley would be a steal. And, frankly, to make a deal like this actually happen, you’d probably have to give up R.J. Barrett (instead of Fournier) or Immanuel Quickley. There’s just not enough of a return for Toronto to make this palatable. Add Barrett or Quickley, and that changes.
For the Warriors, the addition of Siakam, who is in the last year of a four-year, $137 million contract, would be huge. They really need a big, versatile forward who can score and defend—Siakam does not always defend, but he is capable of it, at least. Siakam will be a free agent, and he has struggled this season (20.0 points, 47.7% shooting, 19.8% 3-point shooting) but he could be in a more comfortable second-option role with Golden State.
Notably, the proposed deal does not touch the core Warriors, Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. But the Warriors would have to sell out—Wiggins was a valuable piece in winning the 2022 championship and the Moody/Kuminga duo still represents some semblance of the Dubs future. It’s a lot.
Could Knicks Trade Rumors Involve Toronto?
The Knicks are shaping up to be the kind of team that Tom Thibodeau prefers, defensive-minded and tough. Anuonoby would fit them to a T. Now, it is questionable whether any Knicks trade rumors involving Toronto, a team the Knicks are suing, is feasible. But if so, this would be something to make the Knicks pounce.
Wrote B/R:
“The Knicks are already fifth in the league in points allowed per 100 possessions, and this trade could very well make them better on that end.
“Losing Hartenstein hurts the second unit, but Anunoby is among the most formidable perimeter defenders in the league.
“Adding him to a starting five that includes Mitchell Robinson would give New York one of the game’s best inside-out defensive duos. And if he keeps shooting the way he has for the last two seasons (he’s at 39.3 percent from deep since the start of 2022-23), he can help on the other end as a floor-spacer flanking Jalen Brunson.”
That would be a lot of talent at MSG. Maybe even enough to catch the top tier of the East.