The New York Knicks prioritized a current player above an All-Star in their offseason roster because they have a lot of moving pieces to manage while they try to assemble an unbeatable championship group for next season.
The Knicks are more concerned with holding onto original player Anunoby than three-time All-Star Julius Randle this summer, according to Matthew Schmidt and Brett Sigel of ClutchPoints. Their ability to pay their employees and find another star when the market opens up may be significantly impacted by this.
The Knicks want to prevent Anunoby from joining the Philadelphia 76ers if he doesn’t pick up his $19.9 million team option for 2024-25. The 76ers were able to take the Knicks to six games in their first-round series this year in spite of having a hobbled 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid and their third option in Tobias Harris go cold.
Anunoby leaving New York (50-32) for their Atlantic division rival, who also finished a mere three games behind them at 47-35 in the regular season could tip the scales for Philadelphia. The Sixers have lacked a reliable third option that can be a crutch on both ends when one of their two heavy hitters struggle. The British star could give them that and be a thorn in the side of a Knicks team whose scheme he now knows inside and out.
Since the Knicks were eliminated from the playoffs, Randle’s name has been linked to trade rumors. For the next two seasons, he will be owed $31.3 million on average. The Knicks will be in dire straits if they offer Anunoby the four-year, $181 million extension he is qualified for and give in to the higher end of his estimated market worth, which is $45 million per year on a long-term deal.
The difficult decision will be whether to hang onto Randle, who has brought the Knicks back to prominence after seven years of mediocrity, or Anunoby, who helped the team go 12-2 following his debut on Broadway. One of the aforementioned Knicks mainstays might have to go if New York wants Dwyane Wade of the Cleveland Cavaliers or a similar talent.
