The New York Knicks have been linked to the Toronto Raptors’ OG Anunoby, and the Knicks should make a move to get him.
The Leon Rose-led, New York Knicks, have typically been conservative at the trade deadline. Even New York’s recent trade for Josh Hart is still conservative. Even their biggest swing, for Cam Reddish, was hardly Babe Ruth calling his shot. But this season represents their best opportunity yet to be aggressive.
The Knicks have proven themselves with recent wins against championship contenders like the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. Also, since the Eastern Conference isn’t as good as people thought it would be, that leaves room for a team like New York to add the right player or two to help win a playoff series (or even more). And they may have that guy in Toronto Raptors wing OG Anunoby.
The Athletic’s Shams Chariana reported that the Knicks have “shown a willingness to include multiple first-round picks” in a deal for Anunoby. (Reminder: it’s not the NBA trade deadline until you see the Knicks and multiple first-round picks together in a trade rumor.)
Then, Sportsnet’s Michael Grange reported the Knicks are willing to offer three future protected first-round picks for Anunoby — a big difference. But all of this information comes on the heels of a report from SNY’s Ian Begley on New York’s interest in the 25-year-old wing dating back to November.
Anunoby is on a reasonable contract making $18 million next season in the final guaranteed year of his deal. In addition, the Raptors stink, so the trade rumors are flying. New York is reportedly interested. Here’s why.
What to like about OG Anunoby
Kyle Lowry’s departure from Toronto following the 2020-21 season opened the door for another Raptor to pick up the slack.
Some NBA executives believed Anunoby was the most likely Raptor to have a breakout season. Instead, Fred VanVleet was named an All-Star, and Scottie Barnes won the Rookie of the Year Award.
While Anunoby didn’t break out, he hit a career-high scoring mark of 17.1 points per game, and his scoring has remained steady this season (16.9 points per game). But his three-point shooting is what could really help New York’s offense.
As of this writing, Anunoby averages 1.9 threes made per game while converting at a 36.6 percent clip. New York is currently 23rd in three-point percentage, with Jalen Brunson being the only Knick more accurate from deep than Anunoby.
According to Cleaning the Glass, Anunoby is converting his corner threes at a 44 percent clip. That’s good for the 65th percentile among wing players. New York’s best shooters from the corners are Brunson and Obi Toppin — both on a much smaller sample size for very different reasons.
Anunoby has also established himself as a catch-and-shoot three-point threat, shooting a solid 39.2 percent from downtown on 4.5 attempts per game. As an FYI, New York is 26th in the league in catch-and-shoot three-point percentage.
But where Anunoby shines is on defense. He wreaks havoc on opponents with a 7-foot-2 wingspan that allows him to pester defenders on and off the ball.
The London native currently leads the league in steals (2.1) and deflections (3.9) per game. In addition, Anunoby ranks in the 99th percentile of wings in block percentage and the 96th percentile in steal percentage, per Cleaning the Glass.
For further context, the currently injured Mitchell Robinson leads the Knicks in deflections with 1.9 per game, while Jalen Brunson is the steals leader with 1.0 per game. As a team, New York ranks last in the NBA in both steals and deflections.
While OG’s stats are impressive, they don’t tell the whole story. Any team would be lucky to have a player who can comfortably guard every position on the court while always taking on the challenge of defending the other team’s best player.
Areas of concern
When Raptors head coach Nick Nurse spoke to Sirius XM Radio in July, he mentioned Anunoby’s desire to be more involved in the offense. It’s important to note that Nurse’s tone here is clear understanding.
Still, it’s also hard not to notice that Anunoby’s shot attempts have gone slightly down from last season while his usage percentage has remained almost the same.
Anunoby’s decision-making is suspect on offense, he averages more turnovers than assists, so keeping him off the ball is probably the right move anyway.
You have to wonder if OG still wants more on the offensive side of the ball because if he does, then New York probably isn’t the best fit.
Then there’s the continuity issue. It’s fair to assume that Quentin Grimes would move to the bench if New York acquired Anunoby, and while Anunoby is the better player, New York has thrived since Grimes was inserted into the starting lineup.
The Knicks’ current starting lineup is seventh in the NBA in total minutes (per NBA stats) while still outscoring opponents by 8.1 points per 100 possessions.
Anunoby’s contract situation could be a reason to stay away. Ian Begley described Anunoby’s player option for 2024-25 as a “complicating factor in a potential Knicks-Raptors trade.”
Understandably, New York doesn’t want to give up assets for a guy who may bolt after a season and a half but also unrealistic if they think they’ll get any commitment from him at this point.
Anunoby is a Klutch Sports client who believes he’s the best defender in the NBA. He’s not going to be taking any Julius Randle team-friendly deals.
Injuries are also a fundamental concern for Anunoby, as he only played 91 games in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons combined and only appeared in 70 games once as a rookie. The issues date back to Anunoby’s college days when he underwent knee surgery that ended his sophomore season early.
Betting on a player to get healthier as they get older typically isn’t a wise move.
Conclusion
There’s no such thing as a perfect trade in the NBA, as it typically all comes down to the price. As long as Toronto doesn’t ask for an excessive amount of picks, I think New York should make this trade.
In addition to his three-point shooting and defense, Anunoby’s work ethic and unflappable attitude would make him a great fit with New York.
His high school coach, Blair Thompson, told a story about OG’s reaction after dunking on a jealous teammate during a scrimmage in practice. “There was no celebrating, no mean-mugging,” Thompson says. “OG turned and walked calmly back to his spot. And he just stood there waiting for practice to continue.”
Back in December 2017, the late Jonathan Tjarks wrote about the youth movement within the Toronto Raptors — which featured Anunoby. Tjarks accurately described a then 20-year-old Anunoby as “more advanced defensively than most 20-year-olds because he had to earn playing time on that side of the ball early in his career.” Even then, he was guarding the best player on the other team.
Someone who worked from an unheralded high school recruit to a potential Defensive Player of the Year candidate is almost too good to be true for this franchise.
New York is better than their record indicates. They must take advantage of an Eastern Conference that became even weaker following the Kevin Durant trade and go get OG Anunoby.
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the NBA season. And in case you missed it, check out CP’s interview with The Legendary Chuck D to discuss Knicks and how hip-hop changed the world!
