The New York Knicks are not guaranteed to retain OG Anunoby during the offseason. The Eastern Conference franchise traded for the defensive forward and impending free agent in December to improve their chances of a deep postseason run.
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, some NBA executives believe Anunoby will test the free-agent market rather than instantly commit his future to New York.
“While league personnel are of the mind Siakam will certainly be re-signing with Indiana, there was word circling among team officials at last week’s NBA Draft Combine that Anunoby’s situation with the Knicks is not as cut and dried,” Ficher reported. “…various teams left Chicago with the belief that Anunoby could reach unrestricted free agency and consider deals from other franchises in addition to New York.”
The Knicks never got a chance to see how their roster looked at full strength. Both Anunoby and Julius Randle dealt with injuries throughout the second half of the season and into the playoffs. Mitchell Robinson also battled health issues of his own. As such, Anunoby may be curious about how far a healthy version of the Knicks could go next season.
New York’s front office will undoubtedly be keen to re-sign Anunoby at the earliest opportunity. They gave up two promising young talents (RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley) to bring him to Madison Square Garden and they wouldn’t want those losses to be for nothing. Furthermore, the Knickerbockers can offer the veteran forward a starting role playing for a storied franchise in one of the biggest markets the league has to offer.
Anunoby will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He controls his own future. The Knicks knew the risk they were taking when they traded for him. Now, they have no choice but to let things play out and live with the results.
