NBA Rumors: Heading into free agency, should the New York Knicks be willing to 'break the bank' to keep OG Anunoby this offseason?
Credit to the New York Knicks. Over the course of their existence, they haven't always come out on top when making a huge acquisition. Especially over the last few decades. However, the early returns after making the big trade for OG Anunoby are quite impressive. The question is, how deep in their wallets should the Knicks be willing to go in order to keep Anunoby in New York for the foreseeable future?
Heading into the offseason, Anunoby is set to hit the free-agency market and he's in line to "break the bank" with a huge contract. Theoretically, especially after acquiring him just before the NBA Trade Deadline, you'd have to imagine that the Knicks are going to do everything they can to re-sign him. However, is that the smart decision in the long run? That's something the Knicks will have to seriously think about, but it has nothing to do with his on-the-court play. Instead, the risk that comes with signing Anunoby to a long-term deal has everything to do with his health and ability to stay on the court.
With Anunoby this season, the Knicks have been one of the best teams in the league. They're 15-2 when he's healthy and playing for the team and since his acquisition, the Knicks are just 9-11 with him out due to injury.
Is OG Anunoby considered injury prone?
Anunoby returned after missing 18 games with an elbow injury but has now missed the last two games because that same injury flared up. At this point, there's a very real chance this is a lingering injury that Anunoby and the Knicks will have to deal with heading into the playoffs.
And that's part of the concern when it comes to giving Anunoby the big deal that he's reportedly in line to make. A league executive believes he could be asking for $40 million per season when it comes to his contract extension.
It's understandable that the Knicks can't "let Anunoby walk" this summer, especially after they included RJ Barrett in the deal for him but that's a huge investment for a player that may be considered injury-prone and one that doesn't necessarily put up big numbers.
There's no question that Anunoby has a positive impact on the Knicks. But he's averaging 15 points and four rebounds during his time with the Knicks. New York has some big decisions to make this summer and almost all of them begin with a huge Anunoby contract extension.