Raptors get tremendous deal with OG Anunoby extension

The Toronto Raptors are getting an excellent deal with their contract extension for OG Anunoby.

Ask a knowledgeable Toronto Raptors fan, and they’ll tell you the same: No offense to Pascal Siakam, but OG Anunoby could very well wind up being the best player on the roster in a few years.

If that’s the case, the Raptors should be ecstatic about the deal they were able to work out with Anunoby before the Dec. 21 deadline for rookie contract extensions.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Toronto has agreed to a four-year, $72 million extension with Anunoby. The deal has a player option for the final season in 2024-25.

OG Anunoby’s extension is a bargain for the Raptors

On the surface, it may not seem like a guy who averaged 10.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last season would be worth $18 million a year, but his value in Toronto extends much further than the stat sheet, especially with a potential breakout season on the horizon.

For starters, Anunoby has been extremely efficient on a limited number of shot attempts, shooting 50.5 percent from the field (8.2 attempts per game) and 39 percent from 3-point range (3.3 attempts per game). That’s been crucial on an offense with Siakam, Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet all requiring touches, but the day will come when the Raptors give OG more opportunity on that end of the floor.

There’s also his incredible blend of strength, speed and length that allow him to effectively guard multiple positions on the floor. Whether he’s swarming wings, hounding smaller guards or even putting his wingspan and leaping ability to good use as a small-ball center, Anunoby is a tremendous athlete and intelligent defender, giving him legitimately high upside as a two-way star in the making.

Whether he gets there in 2020-21 is irrelevant, since the Raptors still have at least one more good season out of Lowry. But as Toronto continues to transition into a new, younger era — especially after the departures of Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol in the frontcourt — Anunoby’s importance will only grow. Considering the Orlando Magic just shelled out a four-year, $80 million extension for the more injury-prone Jonathan Isaac, Anunoby at an even cheaper price represents great market value.