Knicks trade for OG Anunoby, Raptors get RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley

The New York Knicks have finally moved on from their franchise core.

According to Shams Charania and Adrian Wojnarowski, the Knicks have traded for OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa of the Toronto Raptors sending RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and multiple draft picks north of the border.

The Knicks have traded a package of players and draft picks in exchange for Toronto Raptors forward OG Anunoby, who’s playing in a contract year with a player option (expected to be declined) for next season, Wojnarowski first reported.

The initial deal included both RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley as the main pieces sent away from New York to the Canadian franchise, as well as “draft considerations.”

Charania confirmed the report moments later.

Wojnarowski then added a second “main” asset to the initial package sent from Toronto to New York: big man Precious Achiuwa.

The ESPN insider then revealed information about the draft picks exchanged in the deal, with Toronto acquiring a Knicks 2024 2nd-round pick via the Detroit Pistons.

Shams added a bonus player in Raptors’ guard Malachi Flynn going to the Knicks as part of Toronto’s package of players.

The collateral damage to make room for the three players arriving in NYC while only sending two away is DaQuan Jeffries, who the Knicks waived before the trade becomes official and is approved by the league.

The final deal, all assets considered, reads as follows:

To New York:

• OG Anunoby
• Precious Achiuwa
• Malachi Flynn

To Toronto:

• RJ Barrett
• Immanuel Quickley
• Pistons 2024 2nd Round Pick

The last time New York traded for a player ahead of his free agency, Carmelo Anthony landed in Manhattan in exchange for a bounty. The Knicks made the postseason a few seasons following the trade, then roamed the desert for a decade. The Nuggets won the 2023 Larry O’B.

Anunoby is expected to enter free agency next summer as long as he declines his low-money player option trying to get a bigger bag, which is reasonable and should happen if all goes according to plan.

Wojnarowski echoed this publicly after revealing the trade, saying that New York now “gets a head start on recruiting [Anunoby] to stay,” which you can also read as New York now “will have a rental for six months, then we’ll see if the Knicks traded two core players and a pick for nothing come July 1.”

Ian Begley of SNY reported a potential second move by the Knicks about an hour after the trade was initially leaked. According to Begley, there might be something else in the works and New York might not be quite done here. Keep an eye on this space.

Good luck on your new travels, RJ and IQ!
Welcome to NYC, OG, Malachi, and Precious!

Let’s go Knicks!

This story will be updated with more information as it develops.