NBA Trade Rumors: Knicks among teams willing to trade picks for OG Anunoby
OG Anunoby has come up a lot in NBA trade rumors recently. Now it’s being reported the Knicks have already offered multiple picks for him.
In Shams Charania’s most recent mailbag, he reported that the Knicks, among other teams, were interested in trading for OG Anunoby. As he and other reporters have mentioned, it would take multiple picks for the Raptors to trade Anunoby to another team. The New York Knicks certainly have lots of draft picks to trade but the question is do the picks have any real value and are the Raptors actually gonna blow their core?
The Raptors are struggling and may be looking to break up the rest of the 2019 championship band as a lot of their contracts are up after this season or the next. OG Anunoby currently has two years left on his contract at what can be considered a discount but the second year is a player option that will probably be declined.
The Raptors’ two most valuable assets are probably Pascal Siakim and Aunonby. Out of the core, these two players seem to be the least likely to be traded as both are still under contract next season. Still, teams smell blood in the water and the Knicks have a lot of draft picks, and trading for Anunonby might be a good use of them.
Do the Knicks actually have enough to trade for OG Anunoby?
While the Knicks do have a lot of draft picks, some of them don’t really have great protections on those picks. The Pistons’ pick owed to the Knicks is basically top-10 protected until 2027 and then becomes a second-round pick if not converted. The 2023 Wizards pick that the Knicks have is basically under the same scenario as that one.
The Knicks do control the trade rights to all of their own picks, own a Mavs first-round pick this year that will most likely convert (as it is top-10 protected only) and a Bucks first-round pick in 2025 that is only top-four protected. If the Knicks were to make a move for Aunonby, they would most certainly have to include some picks from the second group rather than just the first.
The Knicks could add Derrick Rose to the deal as a salary filler (Rose could be worth draft capital in his own right) or Evan Fournier in a deal to make the money work. To add to the deal, they could trade Obi Toppin or Immanuel Quickley, or Cam Reddish.
A deal for the wing would likely require two to three first-round picks or young players worth equal value. Anunoby is not just a high-level 3-and-D wing, he’s an elite defender. While he can’t really be a number-one option on a team, he is pretty good offensively.
A possible OG Anunoby acquisition would allow the Knicks to have a top three of Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson, and OG himself. While he wouldn’t be the top-ten player that the Knicks need to be title contenders, it would heavily upgrade the roster.
The Knicks should not push all-in on this possible deal but it should be something that they consider because it would get them closer to title contention. While it would cost a lot of assets to trade for Anunoby, RJ Barrett would still be a Knick in any likely scenario and available for a trade in a superstar.
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