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The New York Knicks didn’t acquire OG Anunoby planning on him being a short-term rental.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported the Knicks are expected to re-sign Anunoby despite interest from teams like the Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
“The leaguewide expectation is that OG Anunoby will return to the Knicks. The question is, for how much? From executives I’ve talked to around the league, Anunoby’s floor appears to be $35 million, and his ceiling is a max contract,” Scotto said. “Philadelphia will be looking for a 3-and-D small forward and has the max cap space to make the offer if they believe they’ll miss out on their top target, Paul George. Two general managers told me they’d pay Anunoby $35 million annually and that a max would be tough because of his injury history.”
Anunoby is an interesting free-agent case. He’s seven years into his NBA career and has never come close to making an All-Star or All-NBA team but is clearly one of the league’s best 3-and-D role players.
Players who average 14.7 points don’t typically get considered for contracts in the $35 million range when they’re not elite rebounders, ball-handlers or regular contenders for Defensive Player of the Year. Anunoby is a very good player who does not jump off the page in any one category, but he’s a high-end perimeter defender who fits perfectly in nearly any team system.
The Knicks knew they were going to have to pony up a contract that’s likely higher than Anunoby’s actual value when they acquired him from the Toronto Raptors in December. That has only become even more the case with the Sixers and Thunder lurking and both potentially desperate enough to break the bank if their pursuits of George fall through.
George is still seen as likely to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, but the two sides have had months to reach a contract extension without any progress.
The Knicks should work quickly to re-sign Anunoby before the Sixers in particular have a chance to ramp up their pursuit.