[Katz] How OG Anunoby fits with Knicks, what’s next for Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett
December 31, 2023
[Katz] How OG Anunoby fits with Knicks, what’s next for Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett
4 comments
Paywall
Highlights for those paywalled:
> The Knicks have sought after Anunonby for a long time, offering the Raptors multiple first-rounders for him leading into last season’s trade deadline, league sources told The Athletic. Toronto wasn’t interested in saying goodbye to Anunoby then. But his contract expires this summer and as his free agency approaches, the Raptors adjusted.
> Quickley will start for the Raptors, who are in a position to pay him the contract the Knicks would not hand him over the summer when the two sides could not agree to an extension. New York didn’t believe it could pay Quickley, a top-notch sixth man but still a sixth man, so richly given his role. Meanwhile, Quickley wanted starter money.
> Now, if he plays well with the Raptors, his wish may come true once he hits restricted free agency in this summer.
> Once the Knicks realized they and Quickley would be far away from an extension, they understood he was unlikely to be part of their future. They considered trading him for a win-now veteran this past summer, too, even chattering with the Boston Celtics about a possible Quickley-for-Marcus Smart swap before Boston eventually dealt Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies, league sources tell The Athletic.
> The Knicks understood that a too-many-guys situation had brewed in their locker room this season. Issues bubbled even before Hart and Quentin Grimes griped publicly about their roles. Donte DiVincenzo, who is coming off a career-high 38 points against Indiana, is playing less than he did with the Golden State Warriors a season ago.
> Frustration was mounting, according to people in and around the Knicks’ locker room. The front office knew a consolidation trade was necessary. One like this doesn’t just balance the roster; it also opens up opportunities for others.
> The surprising part of this trade isn’t that it happened. It’s that it took zero first-round picks to land Anunoby.
> Now, the Knicks bring in a do-everything wing who would fit next to any star they may yearn for on the trade market. And make no mistake about it: Acquiring Anunoby was not the star trade. It was merely another step toward making the big swap we’ve heard about for so long.
Thanks for sharing this article. It was a very comprehensive encapsulation of the multiple angles of the trade. I’ll miss RJ and IQ but look forward to what Anunoby and the others can bring to the mix.
Man it would be interesting if we got Marcus Smart for IQ, imagine we did that move than swapped RJ, Grimes for OG? Our defense would have been insane.
4 comments
Paywall
Highlights for those paywalled:
> The Knicks have sought after Anunonby for a long time, offering the Raptors multiple first-rounders for him leading into last season’s trade deadline, league sources told The Athletic. Toronto wasn’t interested in saying goodbye to Anunoby then. But his contract expires this summer and as his free agency approaches, the Raptors adjusted.
> Quickley will start for the Raptors, who are in a position to pay him the contract the Knicks would not hand him over the summer when the two sides could not agree to an extension. New York didn’t believe it could pay Quickley, a top-notch sixth man but still a sixth man, so richly given his role. Meanwhile, Quickley wanted starter money.
> Now, if he plays well with the Raptors, his wish may come true once he hits restricted free agency in this summer.
> Once the Knicks realized they and Quickley would be far away from an extension, they understood he was unlikely to be part of their future. They considered trading him for a win-now veteran this past summer, too, even chattering with the Boston Celtics about a possible Quickley-for-Marcus Smart swap before Boston eventually dealt Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies, league sources tell The Athletic.
> The Knicks understood that a too-many-guys situation had brewed in their locker room this season. Issues bubbled even before Hart and Quentin Grimes griped publicly about their roles. Donte DiVincenzo, who is coming off a career-high 38 points against Indiana, is playing less than he did with the Golden State Warriors a season ago.
> Frustration was mounting, according to people in and around the Knicks’ locker room. The front office knew a consolidation trade was necessary. One like this doesn’t just balance the roster; it also opens up opportunities for others.
> The surprising part of this trade isn’t that it happened. It’s that it took zero first-round picks to land Anunoby.
> Now, the Knicks bring in a do-everything wing who would fit next to any star they may yearn for on the trade market. And make no mistake about it: Acquiring Anunoby was not the star trade. It was merely another step toward making the big swap we’ve heard about for so long.
Thanks for sharing this article. It was a very comprehensive encapsulation of the multiple angles of the trade. I’ll miss RJ and IQ but look forward to what Anunoby and the others can bring to the mix.
Man it would be interesting if we got Marcus Smart for IQ, imagine we did that move than swapped RJ, Grimes for OG? Our defense would have been insane.
Thibs would have busted a nut with that lineup