Would Knicks be a contender after this deadline trade for OG Anunoby?

The New York Knicks have a solid foundation built, with Julius Randle having an All-Star season and Jalen Brunson being one of the offseason’s best additions. The Knicks have the NBA’s ninth-best point differential and a 28-25 record. They are far from a title contender, however, and the question now becomes how to get to that point.

They held back from offering too much of their current roster and assets to trade for Donovan Mitchell this past offseason, with the reasoning that they didn’t want to go all-in for a player who didn’t get them into true contention. They need to upgrade the roster to be ready for that final, All-NBA finishing piece.

The New York Knicks want to upgrade without preventing a future blockbuster trade

The roster as constructed won’t have meaningful cap space moving forward, so building the team will require a combination of internal growth and trades. There are young pieces on the roster who should continue to develop, with RJ Barrett and Quentin Grimes at the top of that list.

The other path is to make a trade, and the Knicks’ deep chest of first-round picks could help them make that deal and still be prepared for the next trade down the line. A minor move to upgrade the bench is fine, but what about finding another starter? If the ultimate star is an offensive one, trading for a defensive specialist now could be the best setup.

The best such player on the trade market right now is OG Anunoby of the Toronto Raptors. What would such a trade look like?