While Knicks 3-and-D standout OG AnunobyThe return of Anunoby this season is still uncertain, but his future in New York is already determined.
Anunoby, who is expected to reject his $19.9 million player option next season to become an unrestricted free agent, is going to sign again with the Knicks, as reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“[Julius] Randle‘s recuperation and return next season — coupled with the re-signing of Anunoby — could position the Knicks as one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference,” Wojnarowski stated on Thursday, April 4.
The Knicks acquired Anunoby in a midseason trade with the intention of retaining him beyond this season after they traded away former No. 3 pick RJ Barrett and last season’s 6th Man of the Year runner-up Immanuel Quickley along with a second-round pick.
Their January streak since Anunoby’s arrival until he and Randle got injured showed a glimpse of the potential of the Knicks when they are fully healthy.
With Anunoby smoothly fitting in between Randle’s powerful game and Jalen Brunson’s playmaking and shotmaking, the Knicks raced to a 12-2 record with the best defense and a top-9 offense in those 14 games.
Anunoby, who changed from Klutch Sports to Creative Artists Agency ahead of his impending free agency, has the advantage over the Knicks despite the uncertainty about his durability.
“He will attempt to secure a large contract there,” an Eastern Conference GM informed Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney on March 20. “Why not? They can’t afford to lose him. Not a maximum contract or anything, but I think from his perspective, it will resemble more like $40 million per year, such as a four-year deal worth $160 million.”
OG Anunoby Still Absent
After the Knicks revealed Randle’s season-ending surgery.With the announcement of Randle's season-ending surgery, attention now turns to Anunoby’s recovery from an inflammation on his surgically repaired elbow.
Yeesh that looks like a lot of swelling https://t.co/Z9xcLML4Gh
— Brian Sutterer MD (@BrianSuttererMD) March 28, 2024
Anunoby will miss his 9th straight game when the Knicks welcome the Sacramento Kings in a crucial home game on Thursday, April 4, at Madison Square Garden before a challenging 4-game road trip. While the MRI did not reveal new structural damage, there is growing concern about Anunoby’s durability.
Anunoby has never played more than 70 games since his rookie year when he participated in 74 games.
“Now Anunoby’s well-known fragility is very much New York’s problem, and a larger one than the Knicks could have possibly imagined. It is a regrettable thing to say because, in many ways, Anunoby has been an ideal acquisition in the sport’s self-proclaimed center,” Toronto Star columnist Dave Feschuk declared on March 25.
Josh Hart Prepares for Knicks’ Understaffed Playoff Run
Josh Hart already alluded to this grim situation of Randle and Anunoby not returning this season.
“I’m viewing it as though this is the team we’re going to have,” Hart conveyed to reporters after their March 31 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder. “I believe that’s how we have to perceive it. That those individuals won’t return and we’ll be pleasantly surprised if they do return.”
Adding to the Knicks’ injury problems, Hart (sprained right wrist and illness) and Mitchell Robinson (left ankle injury management) are uncertain to play against the Kings.
With only seven games remaining, the Knicks are trailing the third-ranked Cleveland Cavaliers by one game, but they are also just two games away from qualifying for the play-in tournament.