OG Anunoby opted out of his contract, but he could still choose to join the Knicks.
Anunoby made the expected decision Monday before the deadline to opt out of the final season of his four-year, $72 million contract and become an unrestricted free agent when the market opens at 6 p.m. Sunday, according to The Post’s Stefan Bondy, according to sources.
The player’s option was worth $19.9 million, but the average annual value of Anunoby’s next contract is expected to exceed that threshold after he showed he can handle New York’s pressures averaging 14, 1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.5 assists for a total of $19.9 million. 23-game stay in regular season.
The Knicks are expected to prioritize signing Anunoby, 26, to a long-term deal, but most of the leverage lies with one of the NBA’s most versatile defenders.
The Knicks’ advantage is that they hold the Bird rights to the 6-foot-7 forward, meaning they can offer Anunoby a bigger contract than any other team and go over the cap salary to do this.
If the Knicks were to lose Anunoby somehow, it would be a significant mistake given that they knew the legacy risk of trading for a potential pending free agent and were still dealing with two local impact players – former first-round picks RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley – for the Raptors in December.
Barrett is under contract through 2026-27, while Quickley is a restricted free agent.
The trade worked wonders to elevate the Knicks, who were 26-6 in the regular season and playoffs when Anunoby was in the lineup draining 3s at a 39.8 percent rate and keeping the five positions if necessary.
But Anunoby’s injury history also followed him from Toronto and he missed 27 regular season games with an elbow injury, plus four in the playoffs before valiantly attempting to come back from a neck injury. hamstring as a shell of itself in Game 7 loss to the Pacers. Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Reports linking the 76ers and Anunoby on a blockbuster deal could be a negotiating ploy, but if this partnership comes to fruition and strengthens a division rival, it would only compound the Knicks’ mistake of trading for a rental ‘half a season without any insurance over time.
Knicks fans are excited about the core of a team that has made the franchise’s most convincing playoff run since 2000 and hope Knicks president Leon Rose adds competing pieces — not subtracts key pieces.
The exception could be centers Isaiah Hartenstein (unrestricted free agent) and Mitchell Robinson, who has been linked to trade rumors as a way to provide salary cap relief.
New York Post
