The Knicks made a big trade for OG Anunoby. It might not be their last one.
The Toronto Raptors are finalizing a trade to send OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks for a package including RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and draft considerations, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/Z81TH1EexF
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 30, 2023
New York got the defensive stopper in exchange for R.J. Barrett and Sixth Man of the Year candidate Immanuel Quickley. That's a stiff price to pay, but the Knicks managed to do two things with the deal.
One, they cleared future money by ditching the four years and nearly $100M on Barrett's deal. Quickley is playing under a very affordable rookie deal, but he's eligible for what's likely to be an expensive extension this summer.
Anunoby can also become a free agent this summer, but the Knicks now have plenty of space to re-sign him.
Two, the Knicks held onto their stash of draft picks. They've got future first-round picks coming from Dallas, Detroit and Washington in the next few years, which would help if they decide to go star-hunting in the next few months.
They also have Evan Fournier's $18.9M salary for matching purposes.
The Knicks maintaining all their future first-round draft picks in the OG Anunoby trade was a major win.
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) December 30, 2023
New York still has all the necessary draft capital to make another aggressive trade for a star-level player between now and this summer.
New York sacrificed some of its depth to get one of the league's best three-and-D guys to pair with Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle. But they didn't sacrifice all their trade flexibility to land him.
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