The New York Knicks can cross one more transaction off their list.
On Wednesday, they agreed with upcoming free-agent OG Anunoby on a five-year, $212.5 million contract, a league source confirmed to The Athletic. ESPN was the first to report the news.
If the Knicks start Anunoby at his lowest possible starting salary to save room under the hard cap next season, this is what a 5-yr, $212.5M contract would look like:
2024-24: $36.6M
2025-26: $39.6M
2026-27: $42.5M
2027-28: $45.4M
2028-29: $48.3M— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) June 26, 2024
The move comes less than 24 hours after the Knicks kicked off their offseason with a bang, agreeing to a trade that would acquire Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets and send out four unprotected first-round picks, another protected one, a future first-round swap, a second-rounder and Bojan Bogdanović. The trade is not yet official.
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The Knicks transformed after a midseason trade for Anunoby, the 26-year-old who began his career with the Toronto Raptors. New York went 20-3 in regular-season games Anunoby played in and was more than 20 points per 100 possessions better when he was on the court.
A former NBA All-Defense player, Anunoby wasn’t just a stopper. He also opened up the Knicks’ offense with his cutting and shooting from the corners.
The Knicks understood when they traded for Anunoby midseason that the move would require committing a massive contract to him in the upcoming summer. Now, they have done it.
The signing comes with uncertainty for some on the roster. Starting center Isaiah Hartenstein is a free agent, too, and could head elsewhere because of salary cap eccentricities related to the Bridges trade.
Anunoby averaged 14.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists this past season.
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