Getty OG Anunoby could be a target for the Knicks.
The New York Knicks are climbing up the standings again, and they are getting healthier after seeing RJ Barrett return to the lineup.
Looking at other teams in the Eastern Conference and you can see some slides happening, and that could lead to teams like the Toronto Raptors shipping off their valuable assets. A name that comes to mind is OG Anunoby, and he’s a player who has been linked to the Knicks in the past.
Sporting News reporter Jordan Greer came up with a proposal that would see Anunoby put on a Knicks jersey in a move that could easily lead them into the playoffs and beyond.
Knicks Land Anunoby in Proposal
The Knicks have a solid squad as currently constructed, but there’s no question that adding Anunoby would improve the team. With Evan Fournier out of the lineup, Greer suggests using him in the offer as it’d be a way for the sides to match salary, and it wouldn’t cost the Knicks anything since he’s not being utilized. Here’s the deal:
- Raptors Receive: Evan Fournier, Miles McBride, draft picks
- Knicks Receive: OG Anunoby
New York has a lot of draft picks to offer in a deal, and Greer doesn’t specify how many the Knicks would have to give up here. One thing Raptors fans might be wondering is why would their team accept this?
Greer argues it’d come down to the draft picks that New York didn’t use in a Donovan Mitchell trade.
“New York showed interest in Mitchell during the 2022 offseason, but the Knicks never pulled the trigger on a deal,” he wrote. “The Raptors take the picks that the Jazz turned down, and they add a veteran and youngster to the roster.”
As for the Knicks making this trade, it seems like an easy choice to make as it’d ship somebody who’s not in the rotation out in exchange for an impact piece.
Trade Deadline is Approaching
The time for trades to happen is getting closer and closer, and if the Knicks are going to make a move then they’ll have to do it soon.
February 9 is the deadline, and that’s typically a big day for trades. However, moves can still happen before that date, and that’s what happened when the Knicks acquired Cam Reddish last season.
The Knicks have been linked to a variety of trades this season, and with Derrick Rose, Fournier and Reddish out of the rotation, those are the names who have popped up the most.
Those three could prove difficult to move as Rose is an aging point guard with a long history of injuries, Reddish hasn’t been able to crack the rotation, and Fournier is in the second year of a big deal and he’s already not playing.
Fournier is somebody who can be used as salary filler and still provide shooting to another team, so that’s where his value comes into play. Reddish is somebody a team like the Los Angeles Lakers could roll the dice on, and Rose is someone who could fill in as a spot starter or a veteran off the bench.
Immanuel Quickley is a name that has popped up, but the Knicks will have a tough time trading him away considering how important he’s been.