We have our 2nd blockbuster trade of the 2023-24 NBA season as the New York Knicks acquired OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn from the Toronto Raptors for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and a 2024 2nd round pick via the Detroit Pistons. There were rumors that New York wanted Anunoby but this largely came out of left field and was a big surprise. Let’s break down the deal that a lot of Knick fans dislike.
Let’s start with the Raptors side of this. Anunoby is better than RJ Barrett but Anunoby could also be a free agent this summer. Meanwhile, Barrett is under contract for 3 more seasons after this one and Immanuel Quickley is a restricted free agent this summer, so Toronto will likely be able to keep both players long term. Toronto needed a guard after losing Fred VanVleet this summer and Quickley gives that to them. Averaging 15.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, Quickley instantly becomes the Raptors best guard as he teams up with Dennis Schröder to give new coach Darko Rajaković more optionality in the backcourt. Barrett easily slides into the starting 5 replacing Anunoby. I would guess the Raptors starters are Quickley/Barrett/Scottie Barnes/Pascal Siakam/Jakob Poeltl, which is a good unit. The IQ/Scottie 2 man game is going to be fun as well. Barnes has had a breakout season averaging 21.0 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists with shooting splits of .49/.40/.77. They need to start focusing on building around him and while I liked the fit with Anunoby, this is a good first step. RJ Barrett is a good player and a native Canadian so this should be an exciting pick up for the Raptors fans. While he is not as good as Anunoby, he is under contract and provides a good fit with Barnes. You have to assume that Toronto’s next deal is Pascal Siakam. Siakam is having a down season with decreased numbers across the board but he is still a really good player. Teams like the Nets, 76ers, Pistons, Warriors, and Kings could all be interested in a Siakam deal. With both Anunoby and Siakam entering free agency this summer, the Raptors knew they had to move quickly (ha, get it) and after holding off on a deal for so long Anunoby is the first guy out the door.
This trade makes the Knicks better, Anunoby is better than both Barrett and Quickley and Tom Thibodeau did not trust either RJ or IQ on the defensive side late in the game. That does not mean this wasn’t a tough one for Knick fans. Immanuel Quickley has become a fan favorite at Madison Square Garden and Barrett was supposed to be the face of the franchise when he was drafted 3rd overall in 2019. As I have mentioned, Anunoby can be a free agent this summer as well, should he opt-out of his $19 million player option for next season (he will). This is a massive risk for the Knicks. However, I think this is a worthwhile deal for the Knicks to make. Barrett’s contract is not a fun one to have on your books and Quickley is going to demand a huge payday this offseason as well, one that makes you wince. While Anunoby is also going to require a new deal, I would rather pay $35 million a year for OG Anunoby than $26 million a year for Barrett and $20 million a year for Quickley. Another part of this deal is that the Knicks are going to be without Mitchell Robinson for the rest of the season, Anunoby can guard 5’s in spurts for the Knicks and Precious Achiuwa is a natural center as well. A lineup of Jalen Brunson/Donte DiVincenzo/Josh Hart/OG Anunoby/Julius Randle is one that I am very intrigued by and one that could prove to give fits to a lot of teams. Anunoby is also a very good spot up shooter, he is shooting 38.8% on 5 catch and shoot 3 point looks per game this season. Playing with Brunson should only make those looks more open for him. As well, Anunoby can guard the other team’s best player every single night, which is something the Knicks have not had. This deal makes the Knicks better, how much better does it make them in the Eastern Conference?
The Knicks are currently 17-14, 7th in the Eastern Conference. Their front office, led by Leon Rose, clearly looked at the situation and said ‘we are not good enough to make a real run in the playoffs,’ and they were probably right. Anunoby gives them a number one defender to guard the likes of Jimmy Butler, Jayson Tatum, and Donovan Mitchell. The Knicks had a great chance to make the Eastern Conference Finals last season, and they lost it to the Heat, Anunoby gives them a dude who they can say, ‘guard him’ to. He also is big and crafty enough to help guard the likes of Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo (help guard not guard one on one for the whole game). That is a big deal for a team that lost their best defensive player for the season. Acquiring OG Anunoby makes the Knicks better enough to justify the deal in my opinion and I do not think they are done yet.
By only trading one 2nd round pick in this trade, it allows the Knicks to go out and upgrade their roster while making this deal. Would the Hawks ever make Clint Capela available to help the Knicks at the 5? If not, Daniel Gafford in Washington is another option. Gafford and Landry Shamet for Evan Fournier and the 2024 Mavericks pick is one that could work for both the Wizards and Knicks. Should the Knicks look at other positions and hope that Achiuwa, Jericho Sims, Taj Gibson, and Isaiah Hartenstein are enough to hold down the center position? If they do, Utah's Jordan Clarkson would be a good name to take a look at. This is a big trade for the Knicks and I do not think they are done dealing yet.
The Knicks and Raptors struck the first big deal of trade season and the second big in-season trade of the season (James Harden to the Clippers). This deal makes the Knicks better but the question is does it make them better enough to justify what they traded? I think it does. Anunoby is really good and better enough than Barrett to justify adding Quickley to the trade. That does not mean this is a bad trade for the Raptors, they could not risk losing Anunoby for nothing as a free agent this offseason. There are a lot of Knick fans upset by this move but I like it a lot for the Knicks and think this is a win-win deal.
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