The Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks are finalizing a big-time trade. Toronto is sending OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn to the Knicks in exchange for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a 2024 second-round draft pick, according to ESPN.
Anunoby has long been coveted as one of the league’s premier 3-and-D players but the Raptors haven’t been enticed enough to move him despite multiple teams showing significant interest in recent years. The 26-year-old wing made the NBA All-Defensive Second Team and led the league in steals last season while averaging 16.8 points per game and shooting 38.7% from deep. He could help bolster a Knicks defense that’s lost Mitchell Robinson to a season-ending ankle injury.
Toronto is getting plenty of talent back, though. Barrett, 23, is a native Canadian and signed a four-year, $107 million deal ahead of the 2022-23 season. He averaged a career-high 20.0 points per game in 2021-22 but has taken a step back since Jalen Brunson became the Knicks’ lead guard. Whether there will be more shots for him in Toronto remains to be seen.
Quickley, 24, was not offered a rookie extension over the offseason but is viewed as one of the league’s more promising young guards and could thrive if given more opportunities to play. He finished second in the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year voting last season. He also averaged an impressive 22.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game through 21 starts in 2022-23. The Raptors recently moved Dennis Schroder to a bench role and could carve out a larger role for Quickley upon his arrival.
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New York is doubling down on defense by adding a long wing who doesn’t need a ton of touches to be effective and Toronto has added more pieces to its young core for the future.
The new-look Knicks could take the court for the first time as early as Monday, Jan. 1, in a home matchup against the New York Knicks. The Raptors, on the other hand, will host the Cleveland Cavaliers on the first day of 2024.
