The NBA trade deadline is more than a month away, but one of the biggest trades of the 2023-24 season went down before the calendar flipped. On Saturday, the New York Knicks reportedly acquired OG Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a second-round pick. New York will also receive Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski was first to report the news (and if you had to triple check to make sure it wasn't a fake Woj account, believe us, you're not alone!).
The Toronto Raptors are finalizing a trade to send OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks for a package including RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and draft considerations, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/Z81TH1EexF
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 30, 2023
After the trade, the Knicks are -590 to make the playoffs and +410 to miss the postseason at FanDuel.
The Knicks' win total over/under for the season is 45.5 wins, while the Raptors' win total is now 35.5.
Knicks Trade for OG Anunoby: What it Means for Knicks, Raptors and NBA Bettors
What does the trade mean for the Knicks, the Raptors, and the NBA? Our lead betting news analyst, Brandon Anderson, explains:
"The Knicks have had their eye on OG Anunoby for a long while and finally pulled the trigger with what feels like a light package, especially on draft picks. Tom Thibodeau will love Anunoby's defensive versatility, and that will represent a huge upgrade to New York's defense over RJ Barrett in the starting lineup. Precious Achiuwa is an important addition in the trade as well with Mitchell Robinson out for the season and Jericho Sims in and out of the lineup with injuries.
"New York is around .500 but still looks like a solid playoff team in the East. The Knicks rank 10th in ORTG and should improve from league-average defensively. This doesn't exactly move the needle from a title standpoint, but I do think it solidifies the Knicks as a postseason team. Immanuel Quickley will be a real loss, though. He was my Sixth Man of the Year last season and changes everything for this attack. The Knicks likely end up more of a Thibs team going forward, with more defense and less options on offense.
"If you're looking for a futures angle, I don't mind New York over 45.5 wins. New York is on pace to win 45 games right now, so that's basically the number we're getting, but the Knicks are actually fifth in the East in SRS, and you can argue they're as balanced and as well setup as any team in the East outside the big three. There's also the looming specter of a possible Donovan Mitchell trade — it's notable that New York didn't have to give up its many first-round picks — and that can only help. The Knicks will surely push to stay in those top six seeds, and that should get us to at least 46 wins."
Check out the new user FanDuel promo code offer before placing your bets on the NBA!
"For the Raptors, this is likely the first move, not the last. Toronto is 12-19 and tied for the 12-seed in the East. This isn't working, and there was always a chance Masai Ujiri was going to blow this thing up. OG Anunoby is in the final year of his contract, and this is a pretty good indicator that the Raptors had zero expectation of him re-signing as a free agent this summer. Instead, Toronto gets to try out Quickley next to Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam — and might end up trading Siakam eventually too if this move doesn't show quick dividends.
"Long term, this deal represents a lot of bad money, probably both ways. RJ Barrett has improved some but is still one of the bottom 10 or 20 contracts in the league, but maybe a return home to Canada will help. Anunoby and Quickley are both free agents next summer — Quickley is restricted — and both teams will likely have to overpay big to make sure they lock up their new centerpieces after showing their hand so strongly in this deal."
Action Network NBA betting analyst Joe Dellera sees the trade as a win for both teams:
"I think this was a win for both teams, but it signifies dramatically different directions for each organization. For the Raptors, it signifies a restart and rebuild around IQ, Scottie Barnes, and Barrett, with Pascal Siakam likely being moved in the near future.
"For the Knicks, I cannot imagine a scenario where they make this deal without being fairly certain they can resign OG Anunoby. He’s represented by Leon Rose’s son, so they should have a great working relationship with the Knicks’ President of Basketball Operations.
"Additionally, the Knicks clearly did not value Immanuel Quickley as much as the rest of the viewing public. They did not pay him in the offseason and likely would have had to overpay him to be the backup to Jalen Brunson if they wanted to retain him. They showed zero interest in starting them alongside of each other despite the advanced metrics favoring those lineups.
"Anunoby, while capable of carrying a bit of offense himself, is widely regarded as one of the best defensive players in the NBA, especially for a wing. It’s a shame Mitchell Robinson is hurt because this defense would be incredible with the two of them playing side-by-side.
"Anunoby is the player the Knicks wanted RJ Barrett to be. RJ never seemed to get there. He is a woefully inefficient player whose highs seemed more like outliers than flashes of potential. Hopefully a return to Canada helps him excel.
"Ultimately, this raises the Knicks’ immediate defensive floor and not needing to include any of their first round picks (although a 2nd via Detroit is as close to a late 1st and you’re going to get) sets them up with a bevy of picks (and the Evan Fournier contract) to make a deal for a star (see Donovan Mitchell).
I think it’s a win for both teams, but it certainly seems that both are just starting to shake up the trade market."
Anunoby has averaged 16.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.6 blocks per game for the Raptors over the past four seasons. He has been with Toronto since being drafted by the franchise with the 23rd pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Interestingly, the Knicks and the Raptors are currently engaged in a high-profile legal dispute at the organizational level, centered around accusations that the Raptors hired a former Knicks employee who brought proprietary video and scouting information to Toronto from New York.
The Knicks drafted Barrett with the third overall pick in the 2019 draft and acquired Quickley in a draft-day trade after he was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 25th pick in 2020.
Barrett has averaged 18.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in four-plus seasons with the Knicks. He has started at least 55 games in his first four full seasons in the NBA, averaging 30.4, 34.9, 34.5 and 33.9 minutes per game so far in his career. During the 2023 season, he has averaged 18.8 points on 42.3% shooting from the field and 33.1% on 5.0 3PAs per game, an eFG% of 47.8%.
This is a developing story.
