Very soon the New York Knicks will have a decision to make regarding OG Anunoby‘s upcoming contract negotiations. From sources, OG is looking for a contract that exceeds 4 years, $118 million. Meanwhile, he’s missed 22 of 39 games since being traded to New York in December. This isn’t unique to just this season, OG has a huge injury history that goes back throughout his time in Toronto. Yet OG has been the perfect addition when he suits up. His on-court plus/minus is a historically great +297. Furthermore, the Knicks are 15-2 with OG playing. Overall this puts the Knicks in a tough spot with the upcoming Anunoby contract negotiations.
Unfortunately, getting him to suit up is proving to be more difficult than anticipated. It’s not a cut-and-dried scenario. This was a major trade by Leon Rose and the Knicks Front Office. Trading away fan favorite draftees RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley marked the end of an era, and jettisoned in a win-now mentality. Indeed, the Knicks are 15-2 when OG suits up. Unfortunately, his health and availability are far from guaranteed. This is why the Knicks are in a tough spot with the upcoming Anunoby contract negotiations. I’m a firm proponent of the saying that the best ability is availability. Which, in turn, makes OG closer to a liability than an indispensability.
Knicks In A Tough Spot With Upcoming OG Anunoby Contract
OG has a player option in June of this year, in 2025, he will be a free agent. Thus, it’s likely he will opt out of the deal and demand an extension. Leon Rose risked a lot to acquire him, trading away Quickley and Barrett. Additionally, with OG’s ties to agency CAA which Rose used to be part of, it’s very much in the stars that he’ll be extended. Likely, a handshake agreement was already made at the time of the trade he’d be extended. These factors further make the Knicks decision a difficult one.
The remaining games this year will be about getting his elbow healthy for the playoffs. However, long term I’d be very careful to extend him at all without team options inserted in a multi-year deal.
OG’s Long Injury History In Toronto
OG was well-known in Toronto for his long injury history, and this is very much a problem the Knicks have inherited. Before this season Anunoby missed just under 35% of all Raptors games. This year he’s missed well over 56% of his Knicks games. A staggeringly high number for such a young player.
His injury history reads like a doctor’s surgery prescription pad. First, torn ACL out of college. Then, missed the Raptors Championship run in 2019 with an appendectomy, and then an infection. After which he missed 51 games or more on various muscle injuries, calf, ankle, and wrist sprains to be exact. Anunoby has also suffered from an eye contusion, and various hand and finger injuries since 2021.
This is a staggering list for a player only 26 years old. The Knicks need to tread very carefully because if he’s having these ailments in his prime years, it’s only going to get worse as he’s older.
Furthermore, former Raptor coach Nick Nurse at times didn’t hide his frustration to the media at OG missing a month in 2022 due to a finger issue when they were trying to make the playoffs. The general consensus is that OG would rather not play at all than play at 80 or 90%. Knicks insider Stefon Bondy cited multiple sources in Toronto who said he was ‘uncomfortable‘ playing through pain.
That simply isn’t sustainable in a team full of tough dependable players led by Jalen Brunson that this Knicks roster is full of. Miles McBride and Josh Hart have both notched 48-minute-games under their belts this past week. Julius Randle before dislocating his shoulder in a freak accident was incredibly durable and often averaged near the most minutes in the league. It will affect the locker room if he continues to sit out.
Now fast forward to this season. The surgical repair on his elbow, and now re-aggravation of his elbow two games into his return has possibly cost him another playoff run. So far, the Knicks have handled playing short-handed in his absence with aplomb, but this isn’t sustainable.
OG’s Impact as a Knick
The Knicks, to their credit, traded for the perfect player for their roster. He’s everything they’ve needed for years. He’s long, athletic, and one of the best defenders in the league. Not only is he a perennial All-NBA defender, but he’s also an assassin from the corner three. As a 38% 3-point shooter he’s the classic 3-and-D wing. He spaces the floor for All-Star Jalen Brunson and locks the door on any opponent at the other end. His impact is remarkable. This team is as close to unbeatable as it gets when he’s on the court. He’s a huge reason why the Knicks are top-ten defense alongside the excellent play of Josh Hart and Isaiah Hartenstein.
OG’s plus-minus on the court as a Knick is +297 according to StatMuse. This is the biggest impact in the first 17 games for a new team in NBA history. New York being 297 points better off with OG in the lineup is mind-blowing. It’s beyond question what OG adds to the Knicks, but his injury history puts the Knicks in a tough spot with Anunoby’s contract.
What Should the Knicks Do Contractually?
Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reports that OG is due to receive a contract that ‘far exceeds‘ the 4 year $118 million he’d have been eligible for in Toronto. This has to give the Knicks serious pause, long-term. Toronto wanted to move on from him before they were tied into extending him.
A projected $30 million plus per year feels like an overpay considering the extensive injury history. Also factoring in how they traded away the comparative durability of Barrett and Quickley, the Knicks are in a tough spot in how they approach this as they don’t want to let him go for nothing.
On the other side of the coin, his impact in a short time has been historic as previously mentioned. If I were the Knicks front office, I would extend him. However, the caveat is that the AAV doesn’t exceed 30 million and there’s a team option after the second year of the deal. This would be a protection in the contract for the Knicks. The reason being that if he continued to sit out half the games they could opt out in two years, and his contract wouldn’t be an albatross.
They cannot hand him a blank cheque, with that injury history. Nor can they let him walk for nothing, considering how valuable and elite he is on the wing. Ultimately the Knicks are in a very challenging spot with the Anunoby’s upcoming contract. Putting them in an unenviable bargaining position.
