Insider Provides Lukewarm Update on Knicks' OG Anunoby Chase
The Boston Celtics' NBA Finals closeout on Monday night officially tipped off the NBA offseason and the countdown to 2024-25. For the New York Knicks, a good bit of the process will center around OG Anunoby, the Canadian import whose arrival changed the course of their season.
With Anunoby presumably hitting free agency, his metropolitan future has taken center stage. One of the first major updates of the NBA offseason, coming from ESPN insider Brian Windhorst, centered on Anunoby and hits at a rollercoaster experience on the road ahead.
""Most people believe Anunoby will stay with New York," Windhorst said on Tuesday's edition of morning program "Get Up!" (h/t Tommy Beer) "But there have been indications he may want to test the market, because he's not thrilled with what the Knicks are offering."
Amateur and professional observers alike widely expect Anunoby to decline the $19.9 million player option for the 2024-25 season that came over from the Toronto Raptors in a late December trade. Despite dealing with numerous injuries that wound up interrupting his postseason, Anunoby carries undeniable value to the Knicks, evidenced by the 26-6 record the team posted when he donned his No. 8 uniform. The deadline for Anunoby to accept his player option lands next Monday, June 24.
Anunoby's renowned defensive abilities will no doubt land his share of suitors, as will his developing offensive talents (shooting what would've been a career-best 39.4 percent from three-point range in 23 regular season appearances with the Knicks).
The trade that brought Anunoby in, one that sent away sixth man Immanuel Quickley and relative washout RJ Barrett up north, goes down as one of the landmark moves of president Leon Rose's executive career in Manhattan. A prime opportunity to top that by securing Anunoby longevity lies this offseason and time will tell if he's able to pounce.
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI
Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks