Knicks Nearly Lost OG Anunoby

The New York Knicks almost didn't have OG Anunoby on the team this season.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 6, 2024

May 19, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) warms up before game seven 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

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New York Knicks

The New York Knicks made it their mission to re-sign OG Anunoby this offseason, and they did just that.

Anunoby, 27, signed a five-year, $212.5 million deal at the end of June, keeping him with the Knicks after the team acquired him in a blockbuster trade with the Toronto Raptors back in December.

However, according to Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News, Anunoby was strategic during negotiations, threatening to leave the Knicks if they didn't meet his contractual demands.

The Knicks obliged, making Anunoby the highest-paid player on the team even if it cost them Isaiah Hartenstein, who left in free agency for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Granted, the Thunder signed Hartenstein for far more than what the Knicks' maximum offer could have been. However, the Knicks knew that their chances of signing Hartenstein would decrease if they brought in Anunoby.

While losing Hartenstein is a massive loss, keeping Anunoby is a big plus. He is one of the best defenders in the NBA, and the Knicks improved drastically once he was included in the lineup.

The Knicks went 20-3 in the regular season when Anunoby played and 30-29 when he was either in Toronto or on the sidelines in New York. And in the playoffs, that trend continued. The Knicks were 6-2 when Anunoby played the full game.

In his final full game of the playoffs, Anunoby scored 28 points on 10 of 19 shooting in the Knicks' Game 2 win. However, he suffered an injury which held him out for the next four games.

With Game 7 on the line, Anunoby tried to give it a go, but it was far too early for him to be effective and healthy.

Anunoby wants to be with the Knicks, but he also wanted to be compensated fairly. Now that he has, he can simply focus on bringing a title to the Big Apple.

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Published Sep 6, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.