Toronto trading OG Anunoby was not a shock, there had been rumors and plenty of other interested teams for more than a year.
However, the surprise was the timing of this Dec. 30 deal and the haul the Raptors got back. After seemingly years of indecision, the Raptors made a move, and the Knicks paid a premium for a player on an expiring contract.
Who won this trade, and who lost? Let’s break it all down.
That starts with the details of the trade itself:
New York receives: OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, Malachi Flynn
Toronto receives: Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, 2024 second-round pick (via Detroit, likely pick 31 or 32)
(Also, both teams generated small trade exceptions.)
Winner: OG Anunoby
Anunoby was going to get paid no matter what happened. He’s a free agent to be (he will opt out of the $19.9 million he is owed next season because he is worth at least $12 million a year more on the open market) and there were teams lined up to pay him.
Instead, Anunuby is a winner in this trade because of opportunity. He didn’t fit perfectly with the Raptors, his usage rate was shrinking season after season as Scottie Barnes took on a larger role (as he should have, Anunoby is brilliant off the ball but never became the shot creator the Raptors hoped). Combine that with Pascal Siakam on the ball and Anunoby was getting squeezed in Toronto.
He will have a better fit in the offense with the Knicks, where his shooting is needed and he will not be asked to do much shot creation next to Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle (the offense will run through them). Anunoby gets a better fit in a brighter spotlight and that will be good for his career — and that next paycheck.
Tepid winner: New York Knicks
New York did not lose this trade — they got the best player in the trade. Anunoby is an elite on-ball defender, works well off the ball on the wing, is a more efficient shooter than Barrett, and should fit like a puzzle piece next to Brunson. In an Eastern Conference where the Knicks playoff run will mean facing some combination of Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler, Tyrese Maxey, Damian Lillard and Donovan Mitchell (among others), having Anunoby’s defense matters.
Also, the Knicks kept their powder dry by not giving up even one first-round pick — if a superstar does become available via trade this summer (or whenever) they will still be front-and-center with a strong offer.
However, giving up Quickley hurts — it’s not radical to think he is the best player in this trade three years from now. Would New York have been better off sending out Barrett and a first-round pick (plus salary filler) for Anunoby and keeping Quickley? Would Toronto have even gone for that?
Also, even with the addition of Achiuwa (and maybe Flynn, if he can crack the rotation), the Knicks bench just got worse. A lot more falls on Quentin Grimes and Josh Hart now.
Winner: Immanuel Quickley
Like many around the league, Quickley seemed caught off guard by the trade.
As noted above, the best player in this trade today is OG Anunoby. In a couple of seasons, it’s not ridiculous to say we’d answer that question Immanuel Quickley.
For reasons that frustrated and perplexed Knicks fans, Tom Thibodeau never seemed to fully trust Quickley. It’s not like Thibs buried him deep on the bench, but Quickley deserved more run than he was getting while the New York coach trusted Barrett, particularly in crunch time of games.
Now Quickley is about to get all the run he can handle, and for those who think the Knicks overpaid in this trade, that’s essentially a belief in Quickley. Opportunity has come knocking for the guard.
Loser: Knicks fans
Quickley has been a fan favorite — it’s easy to relate to and get behind the overlooked, underused guy. Now Knicks fans will watch him go to Toronto, to a roster that needs his exact skill set, and see him thrive. That will be a punch to the gut, especially if his game keeps developing.
Losers: 76ers, Pistons, any other teams considering Anunoby as a free agent target
This offseason’s free agent (or potential trade) class keeps shrinking. There was a time when teams held out hope Giannis Antetokounmpo might become available (he extended with the Bucks), or maybe Joel Embiid (he seems happy right now). Then there was the tier of potential free agents, and Anunoby was at or near the top of teams’ lists. Might as well cross him off now. There is no way the Knicks threw all these assets at Toronto without an assurance from Anunoby and his camp he would re-sign in New York (while there are rumors that it might be at a discount, we’ll believe that when we see it).
Winner: Toronto Raptors
It’s not about the particulars of this trade; it’s that they have finally picked a direction. There appears to be a plan. After letting Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet walk for free, after leaning too long into a three-forward rotation that didn’t work, and with a 12-20 team needing a new direction, the Raptors picked one. That’s a start.
Whether they won this particular trade is TBD. It’s too early to judge Toronto because: 1) It depends on how Quickley develops; 2) This is not a stand-alone trade — the Raptors have made it clear they are retooling and this is going to be Scottie Barnes’ team. That means Pascal Siakam will be on the move. What they get in that eventual trade rounds out this deal.
That said, you can see a path forward for Toronto: Start Quickley at the point next to Barnes (which means moving Dennis Schroder to the bench), with Barrett at the three and — for now — Siakam at the four, with Jakob Poeltl at the five and suddenly this is a pretty good team, one that fits together better than what we have seen in Toronto this season. Quickley and Barnes should thrive next to each other.
Also, getting that Detroit second-rounder, which is essentially a late first-round pick, is a good get in this trade for Toronto.
Winner: CAA Conspiracy theorists
Leon Rose left his job as the president of power agency CAA to become the Knicks president. Since then he hired CAA-represented Thibodeau and drew a CAA player, Jalen Brunson, as a free agent. Now he has to reach a new deal with Anunoby this season and… you guessed it, he is a CAA client.
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2023-12-31 07:04:33Z
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