The first major move of the NBA trade season happened as OG Anunoby was surprisingly traded to the Knicks this afternoon. The deal comes after over a year of Anunoby trade rumors and plenty of rumors that the Knicks were looking for a trade to move them closer to contention. Let’s analyze the trade from both sides.
Trade Grades: OG Anunoby Dealt to The Knicks
The Deal In Full
New York Knicks Receive: OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn
Toronto Raptors Receive: RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a 2024 second-round pick
Trade Grades
New York Knicks: A-
The Knicks have been in star trade rumors for over a year now and it was clear they would make a move eventually. Despite currently being the seventh seed they have shown plenty of encouraging signs including a huge first-round series win against the Cavs last year. Furthermore, Jalen Brunson has established himself as an All-NBA level player and someone worth building around. Landing OG isn’t the move that will make the Knicks contenders. However, this move certainly makes them more competitive right now while retaining key assets to pull off another potential trade. Anunoby’s elite-level defense and catch-and-shoot abilities make him the perfect complementary piece for any playoff team. Due to this skill set, he makes a lot more sense than Barrett. He also will not have the same shot creation responsibilities as Barrett did.
Allowing for stars Brunson and Julius Randle to do what they do best as scorers and creators. Despite his high-level scoring abilities, Quickley has seen a minutes reduction this year. That is in large part because you can’t play him next to Brunson due to his size and defensive concerns. While Quickley is talented it was clear he wasn’t a long-term fit and needed to be moved in a deal like this.
What I love about this deal is the Knicks found a player who fits better next to their stars, all while still having the desired flexibility to make another move. Not giving up a first-round pick is crucial for the Knicks as it allows them to target a true star in the off-season. Ultimately this is a great deal for the Knicks that will make them more competitive now with plenty of avenues to further upgrade their roster.
Toronto Raptors: B+
Trading Anunoby before the deadline was a must for the Raptors. Annunoby has a player option this off-season and it was assumed he would leave in free agency so getting value for him now was necessary. This deal wasn’t the plethora of first-round picks rumored last deadline. But at this point it was the best the Raptors could do. At 23 and 24 respectively Barrett and Quickley are perfect fits for the Raptors’ timeline. Getting young talented players in a rebuild is equally as important as getting picks.
The Raptors desperately needed young talent next to Scottie Barnes making this an ideal fit. With more opportunities both Barrett and Quickley will likely elevate their games. Both players have already proven to be talented scorers. But they have the potential to develop more as all-around players in Toronto. Even if they just remain high-level scorers the Raptors needed more offensive talent. These players don’t have super-star potential but I wouldn’t be shocked if they developed into all-star level players in Toronto. Ultimately this is the perfect situation for Barrett and Quickley to further develop. Gaining young talent will greatly benefit Toronto as they finally begin their rebuilding phase.
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