According to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby will miss more than one game with his right elbow injury.
Anunoby underwent right elbow surgery on February 8 to remove a loose bone fragment. He’s still dealing with pain and soreness in his elbow.
The Knicks acquired Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors. They are 15-2 with Anunoby in the lineup.
“It’s just sore,” Anunoby said after a recent game. “Nothing happened. Just went for a ball, and it hurt randomly, but it’s fine. I haven’t done it in a while. Just getting used to it. You can’t re-create that in return to play and practice.”
Anunoby is averaging 14.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks in 17 games with the Knicks, who are 40-27 overall on the season.
An NBA champion, Anunoby is making $18.6 million this season. He can become an unrestricted free agent this summer if he declines his 2024-25 player option worth $19.9 million.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, Anunoby could take a contract discount to stay with the Knicks, who are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
“Anunoby held meetings with several agencies this past offseason when he decided to leave Klutch Sports, telling potential representation he was interested in a larger offensive role that would be commensurate with a salary figure in the ballpark of $40 million in average annual value, league sources told Yahoo Sports,” Fischer wrote. “However, Anunoby did leave those potential agents with the impression he would be willing to accept a smaller figure if he were to have landed in New York, sources said.”
The Knicks will not compete for the 2024 title if Anunoby is hurt. The Indiana product is one of the best two-way players in the NBA.
Anunoby has career averages of 11.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks with the Raptors and Knicks.
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