While the Raptors won’t acquire a first-round pick in their deal sending OG Anunoby to the Knicks, the one draft pick Toronto is getting is essentially equivalent to a late first, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The 2024 second-rounder initially belonged to the Pistons, which means it projects to be the No. 31 overall selection in June.
In Marks’ view, that pick actually has more value than the protected first-rounders the Knicks are owed from Detroit and Washington. The Pistons first-rounder will be protected through 2027 and would become a single ’27 second-rounder if it’s not conveyed by then, while Washington’s first-rounder is protected through 2026 and would turn into a pair of second-rounders (2026 and 2027) after that.
The protections on the Pistons pick will eventually become top-nine in 2027, while Washington’s will become top-eight in 2026, so those first-rounders still have a chance to convey. But neither Detroit nor Washington appears on the verge of becoming a playoff contender, so from the Raptors’ perspective, there’s certainly some value in getting a pick guaranteed to be in the early 30s in the short term rather than asking for one of those conditional first-rounders.
Here are a few more notes on the deal that will send Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn to New York and Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett to Toronto:
- Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link) says his understanding is that the Raptors and Knicks have been working on a potential Anunoby trade since they played one another on December 11. The two teams discussed a couple different iterations and the Raptors canvassed the league at this month’s G League Showcase in Orlando before circling back to the Knicks to finalize an agreement, Grange explains.
- When he discussed a possible extension with the Knicks prior to the season, Quickley was believed to be looking for a deal similar to the one Devin Vassell got from San Antonio (five years, $135MM, plus $11MM in incentives), tweets Grange. Given that Quickley is a crucial piece in the return for Anunoby, the Raptors are presumably prepared to re-sign him as a restricted free agent next summer and have a sense of what the price will be.
- Conversely, Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link) says the Knicks had concerns about re-signing Quickley at a price they felt comfortable with. Begley adds that he doesn’t think New York is done dealing, given that the team still has plenty of excess first-round draft capital to offer up in trade talks.
- Barrett, whom the Raptors were eyeing dating back to before the 2019 draft, will become the eighth Canadian to play for the franchise, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter links). The first seven were Jamaal Magloire, Cory Joseph, Anthony Bennett, Oshae Brissett, Khem Birch, Dalano Banton, and Chris Boucher.
- Following the trade, the Knicks will be $5.1MM below the luxury tax line and $9.9MM under their hard cap, while the Raptors will be $1.95MM below the tax and $4.85MM under the hard cap, tweets Marks.
- As a result of the trade, New York will generate a trade exception worth the difference between Barrett’s and Anunoby’s salaries ($5,241,072) and Toronto will create one worth Achiuwa’s salary ($4,379,527).
- The timing of Toronto’s trade agreement could benefit the Pistons, who are looking to avoid becoming the first team in NBA history to lose 29 consecutive games. As James L. Edwards of The Athletic tweets, the Raptors will be without Anunoby on Saturday when they visit Detroit on the second night of a back-to-back set.
.. “Knicks had concerns about re-signing Quickley at a price they felt comfortable with.” …
No, untrue, and its sad if the FO is putting this out there to justify their silly deal. The RFA market is just about pricing to market. Teams don’t lose players they want to keep, and ridiculous offer sheets are a thing of the distant past. Rose & Co. know all this. The UFA market, however, is a REAL market where teams actually lose players, and that’s the market that Anunoby will hit in the off season. Quickley is safely in TOR next year at a market price. The question is whether Anunoby will be with the NYK at any kind of sane price.
Dont look at trades and transactions in a vacuum.
This trade is a continuation of the brunson signing.
Now comes the next domino…..
What is the next Domino?
Go and bet $100,000 on the pistons and watch you lose your money and have to be owned by the loan sharks…
The people that tend to bet like that consider $100K to be like $1,000 it is nothing to them. Drake, Floyd, and some others routinely throw that around on sports.
Normal everyday people don’t have that haha
I’m saying those who are so confident in pistons go ahead and blow money. I’ve got 3 sets of savings and I’m not wasting my hard earned funds.
No one is telling anyone to bet except you lol. Chill out.
Also pistons won lmao
To their credit the Pistons actually did end up winning.
? Odd comment.
Quickley was not going to get paid that money to come off the bench. I don’t think NY makes that trade unless OG is signing an extension. Even if he did leave they are free from a massive deal, RJ contract is off and they wouldn’t pay Quickley a ton. They have all those 1st
OG is with CAA agency which is affiliated with the knicks. He wants to be there, but he’s not a second option cause buddy can’t score 20ppg and is mid vs top teams.
If “that money” is what IQ could command in the RFA market (via offer sheet or possibility of it), then of course they would pay it. If it isn’t, then they wouldn’t have to pay it.
Every year it’s posited that this or that RSC RFA will end up getting some ridiculous offer sheet, and the existing team will have to walk from the player as a result. Yet, it NEVER happens, at least over the past decade. Ridiculous overpays occur in the UFA market, not the RFA market. Frankly, offer sheets themselves are rare.