Nearly a year and a half has passed since the New York Knicks traded for OG Anunoby in the middle of the season, and it's a deal the front office wouldn't hesitate to do again. It involved losing two homegrown stars, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, but Anunoby helped ease that pain by showing he was the perfect fit in NYC, and that hasn't changed after his first full season with the Knicks.
The Knicks traded Barrett, Quickley, and a 2024 second-round pick to the Raptors for Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn. Barrett didn't blossom into the star New York thought it was getting when it drafted him No. 3 overall in 2019, and Quickley was never going to be the starting point guard with Jalen Brunson around.
Knicks' OG Anunoby trade aging even better as time passes
How have players who were part of the deal fared since the trade? Anunoby averaged a career-high 18 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game for the Knicks in his first full season, shooting 47.6% from the field and 37.2% from three. He should have made an All-Defensive Team, but was left off the list of 10 players, proving that there should be a third team.
Achiuwa was initially an overlooked part of the trade, but he was instrumental for New York down the stretch in 2023-24 as injuries piled up. The Knicks re-signed him last summer. Achiuwa began the season with a hamstring strain, but averaged 6.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game after returning. He wasn't in the playoff rotation, but he's the kind of player who can step in and make an impact.
Barrett averaged 21.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game in his first full season in Toronto, shooting 46.8% from the field and 35% from three. His future with the Raptors is uncertain after they traded for Brandon Ingram before the deadline, leaving Barrett as the odd man out. He has two full seasons left on the four-year extension he signed with the Knicks.
Quickley was due for a new contract last summer as a restricted free agent. Toronto re-signed him to a five-year, $175 million deal. The Raptors were criticized for giving IQ starter-level money after a 38-game sample of him leading the team's offense in the second half of the 2023-24 season, but the organization believes in his growth. Quickley averaged 17.1 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game, shooting 42% from the field and 37.8% from deep.
You can argue that both teams got what they wanted out of the trade because that'd be correct, but if you chose a winner, it'd be the Knicks. Anunoby had a career year en route to the Knicks making the ECF for the first time in 25 years. His contract isn't the overpay everyone made it out to be. Toronto drafted him, but OG was meant to play in New York.