OG Anunoby raving about Knicks organization is excellent sign for free agency

The New York Knicks should have a busy 2024 free agency. Isaiah Hartenstein will be an unrestricted free agent, but he isn't the only starter who could hit the market. OG Anunoby has a $19.9 million player option for next season, and he's expected to decline it to become a free agent.

New York's front office didn't trade Anunoby for the wing to be a half-season rental. In the 23 regular-season games he played, the Knicks finished 20-3. He's more than proven that he should be in New York long-term.

Luckily, the organization has an advantage, as CAA represents Anunoby. After the Dec. 30 trade happened, Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer reported that when Anunoby left Klutch Sports, he left "potential agents with the impression he would be willing to accept a smaller figure if he were to have landed in New York, which obviously, Anunoby did.

Nothing will be official until Anunoby decides on his option this summer, but it's reasonable to assume he'll sign an extension with the Knicks.

Will OG Anunoby stay with the Knicks if he hits free agency?

Anunoby's thrived in New York. He fits perfectly alongside Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart. He's the kind of player Tom Thibodeau dreams of. The city loves him, and he loves it right back.

If that doesn't indicate what Anunoby wants his future to look like, nothing will. Imagine how he'll feel when he steps on the court at MSG for his first playoff game on Saturday. The energy is going to be through the roof.

Knicks fans didn't have much to be proud of a few years ago. Leon Rose changed the culture completely, and his work isn't done. New York was a laughingstock, but that's no longer the case. The Knicks will enter the playoffs as the No. 2 seed after posting 50 wins, two things that hadn't happened since 2012-13.

Anunoby is one of Rose's genius moves. Hopefully, the wing will make things official this summer and sign a long-term deal to stay in New York.