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 Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype observes (Twitter links ), New York will generate a trade exception worth Quickley’s salary ($4,171,548) 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.