Should the New York Knicks ‘break the bank’ for OG Anunoby?

NBA Rumors: As free agency approaches, should the New York Knicks be willing to ‘break the bank’ to keep OG Anunoby this offseason?

Credit to the New York Knicks. During their existence, they have not always succeeded in establishing themselves during a massive acquisition. Especially in recent decades. However, the early returns after making the big trade for OG Anunoby are pretty impressive. The question is, how deep should the Knicks be willing to go in their wallet to keep Anunoby in New York for the foreseeable future?

As the offseason approaches, Anunoby is set to hit the free agency market and is poised to “break the bank” with a huge contract. Theoretically, especially after acquiring him just before the NBA trade deadline, one would have to imagine that the Knicks are going to do everything they can to re-sign him. However, is this a wise decision in the long term? This is something the Knicks will need to seriously think about, but it has nothing to do with his play on the court. Instead, the risk of signing Anunoby to a long-term deal has everything to do with his health and ability to stay on the field.

With Anunoby this season, the Knicks have been one of the best teams in the league. They are 15-2 when he is healthy and playing for the team and since his acquisition the Knicks are only 9-11 with him due to injury.

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 good chance this is a nagging injury that Anunoby and the Knicks will have to deal with heading into the playoffs.

And that’s part of the worry when it comes to giving Anunoby the big deal he’s reportedly close to wrapping up. A the league leader believes he could ask for $40 million per season regarding his contract extension.

It’s understandable that the Knicks can’t “let Anunoby walk” this summer, especially after including RJ Barrett in the deal for him, but it’s a huge investment for a player who can be considered injury-prone and who does not necessarily do so. big numbers.

There is no doubt that Anunoby is having a positive impact on the Knicks. But he averaged 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 start with a huge contract extension for Anunoby.