Last week, in road losses versus the Oklahoma City Thunder and Orlando Magic, emerging All Stars Jalen Williams and Franz Wagner, both characterized as small forwards, increased the Knicks’ urgency to acquire a wing player who could doggedly guard multiple positions and provide critically efficient scoring, particularly from beyond the 3-point line.
The 22-year-old Williams scored a career-high 36 points in the 129-120 Knicks defeat and Wagner, also 22, had 32 points in Orlando’s 117-108 victory. Since last season, OG Anunoby had been a player the Knicks desired to fill the void, and this past Saturday, they executed a trade to acquire him from the Toronto Raptors along with power forward Precious Achiuwa and point guard Malachi Flynn in exchange for small forward RJ Barrett, combo guard Immanuel Quickley, and a 2024 second round pick.
It was a move that led to deep emotions among the Knicks fan base, having a soft spot for the homegrown duo of Barrett and Quickley. The franchise drafted Barrett with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and obtained Quickley on draft night in 2020 (which was moved from its regular June date to November due to the COVID-19 pandemic), after the Thunder selected him at No. 25. Barrett was in his fifth season with the Knicks and Quickley his fourth.
Both played key roles in the Knicks’ ascension from a bottom of standings team to a No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference standings last season, and their first playoff appearance since the 2012-13 campaign in 2021. Yet, when the Knicks and the 24-year-old Quickley failed to reach an agreement on an extension of his rookie contract by the October 22 deadline, it signaled that his undisclosed asking price was beyond the range the Knicks were willing to commit to a player whose value substantially increased after he finished second in last season’s Sixth Man of the Year voting to then Boston Celtics guard and current Portland Trailblazer Malcolm Brogdon.
As for the 23-year-old Barrett, who signed a four-year, $120 million extension in September of 2022, his career 42% overall career shooting, 34% mark on 3-point attempts over 297 games in a Knicks uniform— both below the league averages—and defensive shortcomings were problematic. Barrett showed flashes of being a cornerstone player, but was unable to maintain a requisite level of consistency the Knicks needed to help close the gap between them and the NBA’s best teams.
While Anunoby is not the franchise-altering star the Knicks still desire and must have to become a championship contender, he is a valuable component to building a complete roster.
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau highlighted some of the 6-7, 240-pound Anunoby’s attributes ahead of his debut this past Monday at Madison Square Garden versus the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“I think what…he has shown, one he has positional size. Two, he can guard multiple positions. Three, he’s a terrific three-point shooter, so he can space the floor.”
The 26-year-old Anunoby, drafted by the Toronto Raptors in the first round (No. 23) in 2017, displayed his 2023 All Defensive Second Team prowess in 35 minutes, scoring 17 points on 7-12 shooting, including 3-6 from the 3-point line in a stirring 112-106 win over the Timberwolves.
The Knicks went into last night’s game against the Chicago Bulls at the Garden 18-15 and No. 8 in the East. They will play the Philadelphia 76ers tomorrow, the Washington Wizards Saturday on the road, and host the Portland Trailblazers at home next Tuesday.