3 Raptors players Knicks could target ahead of trade deadline
1: OG Anunoby
In December, SNY’s Ian Begley reported that the Knicks had reached out to the Raptors about OG Anunoby before New York went on to win eight straight games. Begley wrote that it’s a trade “that would come at a significant cost — it’s not a move you make unless you know you have to shake up your roster.”
Although the Knicks are in a different place than they were when they initially reached out about Anunoby weeks ago, he could very well be moved ahead of the deadline because of the Raptors’ shaky play. However, ESPN’s Zach Lowe has said that if Anunoby is traded, the package that Toronto would receive for him would likely be similar to what Utah got in return for Donovan Mitchell.
The Knicks didn’t go all in for Mitchell, so why would they do so for Anunoby? If the Raptors do listen to offers and set the bar as high as Danny Ainge did for Mitchell, that should in theory be enough to keep New York away. Because New York has the draft assets to get a deal done for a star, the Knicks are a team to watch.
Anunoby has a $19.9 million player option in 2024-25 that if he were to deny, he’d hit free agency the offseason before. Like Siakam, Anunoby’s a good defender although his efficiency has taken a dip. He’s still averaging a career-best 18.3 points on 46.9 percent shooting from the field and 36.8 percent shooting from three to go with 5.9 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 2.1 assists.
The question is whether or not the Raptors will be sellers at the deadline. If that’s the path that Ujiri decides to take, things could get very interesting.
