TORONTO — The Knicks hung on to their collection of first-round draft picks and up-and-coming young players instead of trading them for Donovan Mitchell over the summer, in the hope that other NBA stars might become available before the February trade deadline.
In their first of three games against the stumbling Raptors over the next 17 days, the Knicks will confront a squad that is possibly on the verge of dismantlement on Friday evening.
There is already widespread talk that Toronto, which has lost 13 of its previous 18 games and dropped to the 12th spot in the Eastern Conference with a record of 16-22 overall, is considering breaking up its brilliant core to replenish its roster.
Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby have the potential to be valuable trade assets for the Raptors, possibly fetching returns comparable to those obtained by Utah for Donovan Mitchell and All-Star center Rudy Gobert from the Cavaliers and Timberwolves, respectively.
Before the trade deadline, the Raptors may be willing to deal Pascal Siakam and O.G. Anunoby.
AP
Siakam, who scored a career-high 52 points against the Knicks in a Toronto victory at Madison Square Garden on December 21, is averaging 25.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.6 assists while leading the league in minutes played at 37.2 per game through 28 outings. The 6-foot-8 power forward is earning $35.5 million this year and is under contract for $37.9 million for next season.
Julius Randle has been an All-Star level power forward for the Knicks over the last month, averaging 29.1 points and 12.4 rebounds per game in his last 15 outings since December 7.
SNY recently reported that the Knicks have expressed interest in Anunoby early in the current season. The 25-year-old winger is bound through 2023-24 with a decent $18.6 million guaranteed for the upcoming season and a player option for $19.9 million for 2024-25.
Through Wednesday’s overtime loss to the Bucks, Anunoby had averaging a career-high 18.5 points per game while shooting 34.8 percent from 3-point range and led the NBA with 2.2 steals per game.
The Knicks own nine first-round picks over the next five NBA drafts, but they refused to include second-year guard Quentin Grimes in trade discussions with the Jazz over the summer involving Mitchell, the three-time All-Star who scored 71 points for the Cavaliers against the Bulls on Monday.
RJ Barrett, a native of Toronto who will miss his sixth consecutive game with a lacerated finger, signed a four-year, $107 million guaranteed contract extension with the New York Knicks in August.
Tom Thibodeau, Knicks head coach, USA TODAY Sports
The Knicks (21-18) have won 11 of their last 16 games, with young players such as Grimes, Immanuel Quickley, Miles McBride, and Jericho Sims assuming larger responsibilities. The Knicks have had an eight-game winning streak, a five-game losing streak, and three consecutive wins. Obi Toppin is also expected to recover from a fibula fracture that has sidelined him since December 7.
Quickley has logged 43.1 minutes per game over five consecutive starts, playing both point guard and shooting guard, with Barrett out and $104 million point guard Jalen Brunson missing the Knicks’ three-game Texas trip last week before returning to play in wins against the Suns and Spurs. During this span, he has averaged 21.7 points and 7.4 assists per game.
“I feel great, and I’ve been working on my conditioning all summer in order to play extended minutes. After scoring 15 points in Wednesday’s victory over San Antonio, Quickley remarked, “I’m going to keep working to get ready.” “I’ve adored [beginning]. When I begin, I join the queue for introductions. I enter the game from the bench with five minutes remaining [in the first quarter].
“But beginning has been amazing, I’ve played a lot of minutes, and I’ve liked it. I’ve enjoyed winning in addition to that. “The best part is when you can influence the outcome.”
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