The New York Knicks are re-signing OG Anunoby to a five-year, $212.5 million contract that will make him the highest-paid player in franchise history, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal will include a player option and a trade kicker, but comes in below the roughly $245 million max figure the Knicks could have paid him. According to SNY's Ian Begley, Anunoby had max offers from other teams, but chose to remain in New York and try to contend for the title. The Knicks acquired Anunoby in a mid-season trade with the Toronto Raptors, and New York proceeded to go 20-3 with him in the lineup during the regular season.
On Tuesday, the Knicks acquired Brooklyn Nets wing Mikal Bridges in a deal that cost them an enormous amount of draft capital. The move was an all-in push designed to make the Knicks championship-ready this season, but without Anunoby, the Knicks likely would have given up all of that capital for a somewhat lateral move. Now that they have retained their top free agent, the Knicks are in prime position to challenge the Boston Celtics for the Eastern Conference crown.
With Bridges and Anunoby in place, the Knicks have what is likely the most fearsome duo of wing defenders in the NBA. Bridges was the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up in 2022, while Anunoby was chosen for Second-Team All-Defense honors in 2023. Together, they give the Knicks an ideal pair of defenders to throw at Boston's star wings, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, as well as any other superstars New York might encounter as it seeks its first championship since 1973.
With their best free agent returning, the Knicks now turn their attention towards starting center Isaiah Hartenstein. He is also a free agent, but the Knicks only have his Early Bird Rights. That means they can only give him a 75% raise next season, which would amount to a roughly $16.2 million salary and a $72.5 million deal over four years. He is widely expected to receive bigger offers from other teams on the open market. Further complicating matters for the Knicks is that the Bridges trade will hard-cap them at either the first or second luxury tax apron depending on the final structure of the deal. That means they may have to shed salary in another deal to make a serious run at keeping Hartenstein or otherwise supplementing their depth.
The Knicks still have work to do, but before the NBA Draft has even begun, they have accomplished their two biggest goals of the offseason. They have retained their best free agent and added an enormous difference-maker via trade. No matter what happens between now and opening night, this offseason is a resounding success for New York.
