Knicks won’t let Mikal Bridges trade get in the way of re-signing key free agent

After the New York Knicks traded for Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday evening, many fans thought OG Anunoby’s time in MSG was over. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the 26-year-old wing is still on the team's radar. It seems like Leon Rose is still prioritizing re-signing the elite defender.

Knicks could be an NBA Finals contender with Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby

If Anunoby returns to the Knicks, the Boston Celtics will have serious competition in the Eastern Conference. A starting five of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Anunoby, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson would be a tough fight for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. They’d also have to worry about Donte DiVincenzo, Miles McBride, and Josh Hart off the bench.

New York knows how vital Anunoby is to a team fighting for a championship. Including the postseason, the Knicks had a 26-6 record with the former Indiana University star. His elite defense comes in clutch. In 23 regular season games with New York, he averaged 1.7 steals per game and 1.0 blocks per game.

If Thibodeau had Bridges and Anunoby as his starting wings, he’d have the best time of his life. We all know how much emphasis Thibs puts on defense, and they are two of the best all-around defenders in the NBA. The ability to shut down opposing teams' best players would be a cakewalk with those two.

It will be interesting to see how Rose and the front office can make this work. They’re paying a lot of guys a lot of money, but they seem willing to fit one last piece into the books. It could be a very expensive piece considering how lucrative he is. Some are suggesting he could garner well over $30 million a year, so New York might have to do some shuffling elsewhere on the roster if they want to add more after him.

Who should the Knicks move to make room for Anunoby and others?

New York could re-sign the elite defender, along with center Isaiah Hartenstein if they move players elsewhere. One they certainly could move is Mitchell Robinson. They could always opt to keep Robinson, but given his injury history, it wouldn’t be ideal to bet on him without a reliable backup.

Randle is always a name tossed around by Knicks fans in trade rumors, but it seems unlikely he will get moved. In addition, he’s also a 2x All-NBA forward, which is very hard to come by.

That being said, it leaves Robinson as the odd man out. If the Knicks want to make room for not just Anunoby, but others, then moving on from the 7-foot center’s $14.32 million salary could fit the team better.

With a few more months left in the offseason, the Knicks have a lot of crucial decisions to make. Bringing back Anunoby though, should be one of the easier ones considering how valuable he could be on this current Knicks roster.