The New York Knicks are loving making the NBA's first major trade of the season. This time it's a big event.
The Knicks acquired two-way star OG Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors, along with big man Precious Achiuwa and guard Malachi Flynn. New York sent fifth-year winger RJ Barrett, fourth-year guard Immanuel Quickley and the Detroit Pistons' 2024 second-round pick to complete the deal.
This front office has made the first trade of the season a habit. Three years ago, the Knicks dealt Derrick Rose a month before the deadline. The following season, they brought in Cam Reddish in January. And now they're making the most spectacular trade since team president Leon Rose took over the front office three and a half years ago.
Even last season — when their only big move, acquiring Josh Hart, came near the deadline, the Knicks tried to get their work done early by asking the league about Quickley's value in hopes of landing a first-round pick to land for him. League sources told The Athletic at the time. When Quickley broke out and eventually finished second in NBA Sixth Man of the Year voting, the Knicks decided he wasn't worth trading.
But life in the NBA changes quickly.
With a lot to discuss, here are 10 thoughts on the trade, Anunoby's fit, the Achiuwa addition, Barrett and Quickley's new situation in Toronto and more.
How do the new people fit in in New York?
The Knicks had been in the market for Anunonby for a long time and offered several first-rounders for him to the Raptors by last season's trade deadline, league sources told The Athletic. Toronto had no interest in saying goodbye to Anunoby at the time. But his contract expires this summer and as his free agency approaches, the Raptors have adjusted.
Anunoby will now start at small forward for the Knicks.
None of the new starters were available during Saturday's 140-126 loss to the Indiana Pacers, leaving the Knicks (17-15) shorthanded to complete a road trip against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Western Conference leaders.
The matchup will immediately test Anunoby. There's a reason the stocky 6-foot-10 winger was named to the NBA's All-Defense second team a season ago and why he's in line for more defensive accolades if he maintains his performance in 2023-24 : He guards the other team's best player every night and can man almost any archetype.
Assuming Anunoby plays on Monday, his assignment will most likely be soon-to-be All-Star Anthony Edwards. But Anunoby can assemble point guards, off-guards, forwards, wings, combo guards, big men – you name it; he can see his face.
This is the type of contributor the Knicks needed, a long and strong switchblade wing who can play at both forward positions, knock down 3s and make his shot. Anunoby averaged 15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 27 games with Toronto this season. He achieved the best shooting rate of his career: 61 percent on two-point shots and 37 percent from distance.
Achiuwa, who is averaging 7.7 points and 5.4 rebounds, gives the Knicks additional depth at backup center that they needed. Mitchell Robinson could miss the rest of the season due to ankle surgery. Taj Gibson and Jericho Sims, the other two backup centers, stepped in while Isaiah Hartenstein took over most of the center minutes.
Flynn is a gritty point guard who could compete with Miles McBride for playing time.
What's next for Quickley?
Quickley will start for the Raptors, who are in a position to pay him the contract the Knicks wouldn't give him over the summer when the two sides couldn't agree on an extension. New York didn't think it could pay Quickley, a quality sixth man, but still a sixth man that was so rich given his role. Meanwhile, Quickley wanted entry money.
Now, if he plays well with the Raptors, his wish could come true once he hits restricted free agency this summer.
When the Knicks realized that they and Quickley would be a long way from a contract extension, they realized he likely wouldn't be a part of their future. They also considered trading him for a win-now veteran last summer and even talked to the Boston Celtics about potentially trading Quickley for Marcus Smart before Boston ultimately traded Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies, league sources say told The Athletic.
The fact that Quickley has played fewer minutes so far this season than in 2022-23 hasn't helped. It's difficult to justify a nine-figure contract for someone who only plays 24 minutes per game.
What's next for Barrett?
Barrett's future also wasn't stable this season.
While there are Barrett supporters on the Knicks, one of his biggest, former general manager Scott Perry, parted ways with the organization last summer. His critics point to the lack of a jump shot and occasional tunnel vision to support their views. The Knicks also recognized another reality: Barrett's downhill style wasn't a good fit for a team that lacked Jalen Brunson (a point guard who loves to get to the box), Julius Randle (who has played even more deep this season). ) and a conventional center.
At some point, the Knicks would have to choose between Barrett and someone else, probably Randle. Now they have it.
Dynamic changing room
The Knicks knew that an overcrowding situation had developed in their locker room this season. The problems were already brewing before Hart and Quentin Grimes publicly complained about their roles. Donte DiVincenzo, who scored a career-high 38 points against Indiana, is playing less than he did a season ago with the Golden State Warriors.
According to people in and around the Knicks' locker room, frustration was mounting. The front office knew a consolidation trade was necessary. Something like this not only balances the squad; it also opens up opportunities for others.
Contractual situations
Quickley isn't the only up-and-coming free agent involved in this trade. Anunoby can be unrestricted after this season. Achiuwa and Flynn will be restricted.
But let’s focus on Anunoby first. Retaining him will be the Knicks' top offseason priority. And whatever type of contract he receives will shape how we look back on this trade.
Certainly Anunoby won't be cheap. He's making $18.6 million this season, but he's also exactly the guy that so many teams – including the Knicks, of course – view as the missing piece: a big two-way wing. Players like Anunoby get paid. Unless something unexpected happens, he won't be an exception.
Jaden McDaniels just received $136 million over five years in an extension with the Timberwolves. But despite playing a similar role, McDaniels isn't as proven as the 26-year-old Anunoby. Perhaps Anunoby is pointing to the contract Jerami Grant just signed with the Portland Trail Blazers for $160 million over five years.
If he makes that much, $32 million a year or more, he would become the Knicks' highest-paid player — although Randle and Brunson could surpass him when their contracts expire the following summer.
One element on the Knicks' side is the portrayal of Anunoby, which is certainly no coincidence. The forward moved to CAA from Klutch Sports last season and notably worked with agent Sam Rose, the son of Knicks president Leon Rose.
Since Leon Rose, who previously ran basketball operations at CAA, took over the front office in 2020, New York has targeted individuals close to CAA, including Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations William Wesley, head coach Tom Thibodeau, Randle, Brunson and Obi Toppin, Josh Hart and more. They acquired four clients from Sam Rose: Brunson, Anunoby, Obi Toppin and Toppin's brother Jacob, who has a two-way contract with the Knicks.
How does this fit into the “plan”?
The surprising thing about this deal isn't that it happened. The thing is, it took zero first-round picks to land Anunoby.
Now the Knicks are bringing in an all-around winger who fits any star they're coveting on the trade market. And make no mistake: acquiring Anunoby wasn't the star trade. It was just another step toward the great trade we've been hearing about for so long.
Because they didn't include any first-rounders in the Anunoby trade, the Knicks can still trade up to four unprotected first-round picks in another deal. They also own four heavily protected premiers from other teams. Add Grimes, a ton of picks, and salary filler into one offer, and that's enough to give the Knicks another big name.
The front office still does not expect a star player to become available during the regular season, league sources told The Athletic. And this move doesn't give the Knicks cap space in 2024 or the year after. But they will still have tradeable salaries on their books in the offseason.
Since Hart signed a contract extension in August, they cannot trade him during the season. As of July 1, Hart's salary would be $18.1 million. DiVincenzo will earn $11.4 million. The Knicks could also hold on to Evan Fournier even if he doesn't play, just in case a trade for a star comes up on or around draft night. In that case, they could pick up Fournier's $19 million team option for 2024-25. That would give them a big, expiring number to include in a deal.
That's more than enough money to match any max player's salary. And salary plus Grimes and picks is a tempting package.
Anunoby prediction
There's a world where Anunoby arrives in New York and starts bombing 3s like never before. The Knicks have hardly ignored the beefy forward's work from the corners, where he lives a relaxed life.
He's made 44 percent of his corner threes so far this season, matching his accuracy over the last half decade. He will be in this area often with the Knicks.
If Randle positions himself on the right side, he can look at Anunoby in the corner. When Brunson or another dribbler goes downhill, his eyes shift to Anunoby as soon as a defender takes just one step toward the paint.
Thibodeau constantly mentions the “value of shots” to his players and encourages the Knicks to shoot as many open, standing 3s as they can get. There's no question the philosophy will impact the way he handles Anunoby, who was hoping for a bigger role than the one he had in Toronto.
Now he has a chance at one. Barrett and Quickley grabbed a majority of the points the Knicks scored. Someone has to fill the gap.
The Knicks will get Anunoby spot-up opportunities. He is shooting 39 percent on catch-and-shoot threes this season and has consistently hovered around 40 percent throughout his career.
He made 6.5 3-point shots per game in the 2023-24 season. His career high is 6.6. But could that number move closer to eight with the Knicks, who have more shots around them than the Raptors, which could also give Anunoby more room?
With Achiuwa
It's worth watching how the Knicks use Achiuwa, who has shown promise in his first four NBA seasons but has yet to make a consistent impact. He has ball skills. Every few minutes he makes a move so smooth you'll wonder why this guy isn't a 35-minute player. And then it will fall down.
He doesn't fit the description of a typical Thibodeau center. Achiuwa is just 6-foot-8 and not a rim protector. He has a bad habit of getting lost in defense, although his activity and agility can be an advantage. So what could Thibodeau, a man who builds his defense from the paint, do with it?
The Knicks could use Achiuwa in a similar way to how they use Sims, another quick-footed, undersized center. New York trades more pick-and-rolls with Sims than with any other major player because Thibodeau relies so much on him guarding the perimeter.
On offense, I could see Thibodeau turning Achiuwa into an activity giant, setting up screens and rolling to the rim in hopes that the big man's athleticism would draw defenders in and open up space. Achiuwa would be able to throw short throws to the corners. The Knicks could also use him as a power forward, which would give them an extra big look.
New York can now play massively. His starting lineup with Anunoby, Randle and Hartenstein in the frontcourt is made for bullyball.
Achiuwa's contract situation also gives the Knicks a backup plan in case Hartenstein becomes too expensive when he enters unrestricted free agency after this season. Achiuwa would likely cost less to retain, both because of its market and its limitations.
A new rotation
The Knicks' rotation will change. Let's walk through how Thibodeau might edit it.
Anunoby will slot into Barrett's former starting spot alongside Brunson, Randle, Hartenstein and DiVincenzo. And as much as the world raves about a never-ending love affair between Thibodeau and Gibson, Achiuwa gives the team a better option behind Hartenstein.
Along with Achiuwa, Grimes, Hart and a point guard – either Flynn or McBride – will come off the bench, which I'll discuss in more detail in the next section.
Some guys' playing time will change. Anunoby can absorb Barretts for about 30 minutes. Achiuwa can play as a substitute behind Hartenstein. Hart still plays just as much. Grimes and DiVincenzo can each secure more points with Quickley gone.
But this isn't just about minutes.
The way Thibodeau rotated Barrett was a cornerstone of the Knicks' identity. Barrett left the game about six minutes into the first quarter, usually as the first substitute for New York, so he could come back in later and continue running with the second unit. Assuming Thibodeau now sticks with a nine-man rotation, a route he has always preferred, the Knicks will have to reconfigure.
They could stagger Randle and Brunson so that one of them is always on the field, although that would create complications considering Randle finds his best rhythm playing the entire first quarter. In this case, could Brunson be the first substitute of the game? No matter who wins the backup point guard job, the Knicks could use more creativity in their second unit with Barrett and Quickley gone.
Thibodeau could also make Anunoby the game's first substitute and use him on the bench, using him as a de facto backup power forward in place of Hart, who would slide to the three-man lineup in that scenario.
No matter which starter starts with the reserves, the others have to make up for the missing offense. Much of the second unit offense came through either Barrett or Quickley. Now there's no one left, putting more strain on Hart and Grimes, both of whom have complained about their role in the offense and should now be given opportunities for change.
It could mean more than just an increase in shots. Grimes and Hart could also provide more, especially if McBride is the backup point guard who isn't a dribble-happy scorer.
Speaking of…
Flynn situation
The Knicks could have a position battle.
Flynn has been a backup in Toronto this season, but it's possible that won't continue in New York, where McBride could make a push to get into the rotation.
According to league sources, the Knicks have been resisting calls from other teams about McBride for several years, insisting they have no interest in trading the 23-year-old point guard. But they also didn't give him much opportunity to play. This could change now.
With Quickley gone, a spot will open up to back up Brunson. Could those 12 to 15 minutes go to McBride or Flynn?
Flynn thrives on speeding up the game, which could be a good fit for this second unit, but he is not an efficient scorer from inside the 3-point arc. Perhaps more importantly for this coach, Flynn struggles defensively. Meanwhile, McBride makes a living as a physical stopper.
The Knicks showed McBride they value him even more late Saturday night when the two teams agreed to a three-year extension worth $13 million, league sources confirmed to The Athletic. ESPN was first to report the extension.
The contract is fully guaranteed and includes no incentives, league sources said. It begins with the 2024-25 season.
Related seeing and hearing
Required reading
Hollinger: Raptors-Knicks trade favors Toronto
Harper: Raptors-Knicks trade classes
(Photo of Isaiah Hartenstein, Miles McBride, OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn: Mark Blinch / Getty Images)