Analyst: Knicks Overpaid for Star Forward

The New York Knicks might regret their offseason deal.

May 6, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) reacts after a basket during the second quarter of game one of the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks are making OG Anunoby their highest-paid player on the roster this season after signing him to a five-year, $212.5 million contract earlier in the offseason.

Anunoby, 27, was an unrestricted free agent and was flirting with the idea of signing with a few different teams in free agency. Therefore, the Knicks had to pay up in order to keep the player they traded for in a blockbuster deal back in December.

Bleacher Report writer Eric Pincus believes that Anunoby might have the most regrettable deal on the roster at the moment.

"The Knicks may move Julius Randle, but his contract is too short to be regrettable. Anunoby is an excellent fit on the team, but his number came in higher than industry people expected," Pincus writes. "The heavy investment in Anunoby contributed to the Knicks' lack of resources to retain center Isaiah Hartenstein, which may be an issue this season."

While Hartenstein's chances of coming back to New York were diminished after Anunoby signed his extension, the Knicks were unlikely to retain him anyway considering the fact that the Oklahoma City Thunder signed him to a three-year, $87 million contract, which was about $15 million more than what the Knicks were allowed to offer. So, in another perspective, it's probably good that the Knicks spent that money on Anunoby, otherwise it would have gone to someone else, like Paul George, who signed with the rival Philadelphia 76ers in the offseason.

Anunoby is one of the better defenders in the NBA, and the Knicks showed considerable improvement when he was on the floor last season. So if he can continue to have that impact and improve as he moves further into his prime, the Knicks shouldn't have any regrets for the long-term deal they signed him to.

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