Knicks' OG Anunoby's Free Agency Decision Wasn't Hard

OG Anunoby landed a pricey payday from the New York Knicks over the summer.

Sep 30, 2024; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby speaks during a media day press conference at the MSG training facility in Tarrytown, NY. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

OG Anunoby suddenly became one of the longer-tenured New York Knicks.

Having arrived in a December deal with Toronto, Anunoby's Knicks term, of course, is still relatively young. But he's set to be a building block for whatever New York is building, as he signed a five-year, $212.5 million contract over the offseason, one set to keep him in Manhattan until at least 2029.

"I always wanted to be here," Anunoby said during the Knicks' media day fanfare. "It wasn't a hard decision for me."

Anunoby had over 200 million reasons to stay in Manhattan but another number probably stood out as well: in the 30 games that featured a healthy Anunoby (removing Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals where played the opening minutes before departing), the Knicks posted 26 victories.

Of course, things are set to be a bit different: the Knicks went 14-2 when Anunoby was paired with Julius Randle, who is set for a transfer to Minnesota thanks to the reported Karl-Anthony Towns trade. Anunoby, however, sounds confident in the way the Knicks have paired him with the similarly skilled Mikal Bridges, calling the idea "pretty fun" (h/t SNY).

The former Raptor did wind up breaking out of his stoic shell to offer lengthy praise for Jalen Brunson, the undisputable face of the franchise and newly-minted team captain.

"I always had respect for Jalen, always knew he was a great player, since even in high school," he said (h/t New York Basketball on X). "None of what he does is a surprise. He's always been an amaing player. He's an amazing teammate, amazing person to be around."

The only thing that seemed truly capable of derailing the Knicks' championship train with Anunoby was his recurring medical ailments: he missed nearly two months of regular season action with elbow issues before a pained hamstring interrupted his playoff activities. However, he was granted a clean bill of health by head coach Tom Thibodeau (h/t Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News), who praised his defensive abilities that have him guarding frontcourt threats.

The Knicks' preseason slate tips off on Sunday in Charlotte (5 p.m. ET, MSG).

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