Will Brady – December 18 2023
Right around the 2023 trade deadline, it started to become clear that the Toronto Raptors as currently constructed are not true contenders. Ever since then, OG Anunoby has been one of the most discussed trade candidates in the NBA. While he’s not a superstar or even an All-Star, Anunoby is highly sought after because he is a seamless fit on so many of the league’s best teams. At 6’7” with a 7’2” wingspan, he has the ideal body for modern NBA wing defense: He’s quick enough to stay in front of smaller players, strong and long enough to bother bigger players, and versatile enough to do it all over the course of the same possession. He’s an above-average three-point shooter, and he brings some scoring ability in transition and as a rim attacker. By all measures, he is the gold standard among “3&D” role players: A critical part of just about every recent NBA champion.
At 26 years old, Anunoby is entering his prime years. He’s been able to stay relatively healthy throughout his NBA career, and he has experience playing deep into the playoffs. While opinions around the league might vary as to whether there is any untapped potential left in his game, he is an extremely valuable player even without further improvement.
Anunoby is also currently playing on a below market deal ($18.6M salary in 2023-24). Unfortunately for Toronto, that contract will expire following this season, which is the main reason why it makes sense to move on: The Raptors cannot afford to see Anunoby walk out the door in free agency for zero return. Given that Toronto (10-15, 11th in Eastern conference) does not profile as a playoff team, Anunoby provides far less value to them than the assets they could receive for him via trade. Anunoby’s age and contractual status should open him up as an option for a wide range of suitors. For a contending team, the benefits are obvious: He’s a starting and closing caliber player at any level of the playoffs. However, he also makes sense for a younger team that might not be ready for true contention, but still believes it’s on the way up. Securing Anunoby’s Bird Rights ahead of his impending free agency could be critical to securing his services for the long term.
In terms of on-ball, one-on-one defense on the wing, Anunoby has a real argument as the league’s best option. He’s physically overwhelming, using his wingspan to contest shots and harass ball handlers. He’s also extremely strong (232 lbs.) which helps him to both navigate screens on the perimeter and avoid being outmuscled in the post. He’s excellent at anticipating dribble combinations, both with his hands (league leading 1.9 steals per game in 2022-23) and his feet, which allows him to stay in front of his man. He’s slightly less impactful as a help defender and a rim protector (0.6 blocks per game), but he’s certainly not a liability off-ball and he plays with solid intelligence.
Statistically, Anunoby is a big difference maker on the defensive end for Toronto. He has a positive on-court DRTG differential in each of the past five seasons, and the Raptors have never finished outside the top half of the league in team defense throughout his career. This season, his impact is particularly stark: Toronto allows 7.9 fewer points per 100 possessions when Anunoby is on court, which ranks in the 92nd percentile among all players.
On the offensive end, Anunoby has one standout skill: He is making 39.0% of his three pointers while attempting 7.1 per 36 minutes, and he has been above 38.7% from distance in four out of the past five seasons. In 2023-24, Anunoby seems to have really accepted his role as a complementary offensive piece. His usage (18.9%) is the lowest it’s been since 2019-20, and his 3PAr (53.1%) is up nearly 12% from where it was (41.5%) in 2022-23. He’s no longer looking to create his own shot, which in prior seasons had led to a significant number of difficult two-point attempts. As a result, his true shooting in 2023-24 is 59.6%, the highest it’s been since 2020-21.
An acquiring team can expect to get an elite defensive player who is comfortable as a fourth or fifth option on the offensive end. He commands defensive respect at the three point line, and he’s more than capable of finishing in transition or making good decisions as a driver against a scrambling defense. He can’t do it on his own, but as the finishing touch to an otherwise championship caliber roster, he can legitimately swing a team’s title odds.
Logical Trade Partners:
Philadelphia 76ers:
It’s amazing how quickly a team’s fortunes can shift in the NBA: Philly has gone from dead in the water to excellently positioned after nailing the James Harden trade.
Anunoby is an ideal fit. The Sixers have a dominant interior scorer in Joel Embiid, and a rising perimeter threat in Tyrese Maxey. What they lack is competent two-way depth around their two stars: Anunoby would give them exactly that. He is the best possible option to guard potential playoff opponents Jayson Tatum and Jimmy Butler, and he could give Giannis Antetokounmpo some issues as well. Anunoby will knock down the wide open shots that Embiid and Maxey generate, and he has familiarity with Sixers’ head coach Nick Nurse’s system, as the two were together during Nurse’s time in Toronto.
The Sixers have plenty of financial flexibility going forward to incorporate Anunoby’s next contract, and you would imagine he’d be amenable to re-signing with a veritable championship contender in a big market. In terms of matching salary for a deal, they can send the expiring contracts of either Marcus Morris ($17.1M) or Robert Covington ($11.6) as the main piece, and they have additional expendable contracts like Furkan Korkmaz ($5.3M) and Danuel House ($4.3M) to help fill in the gaps.
From Toronto’s perspective, the Sixers are appealing because they can offer their own picks from 2026-2030, as well as an additional selection in 2026 (via either OKC, HOU or LAC) and a pick swap in 2029 (via LAC). If it’s young players Toronto is after, Philly might not be the best suitor, but the Raps could see if they could swipe De’Anthony Melton, who they could re-sign on a cheaper deal than Anunoby, and might be a better long-term fit next to Scottie Barnes.
Oklahoma City Thunder:
The Thunder are an excellent team right now, and a player like Anunoby could help them in the future as well. OKC’s best players (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren) are 25, 22 and 21 years old, respectively: Anunoby would actually be the old head among their core.
In OKC, OG would give the Thunder a defensive ace on the wing, and head coach Mark Daigneault has already shown that he can get the most out of his personnel. Although the Thunder already have a capable defensive stopper in Luguentz Dort, Anunoby is bigger and better equipped to take on Western conference wings like Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard, and he’s also a significant offensive upgrade over Dort. With OKC’s excellent floor spacing, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Anunoby take a step up as a driver and finisher around the rim.
Just like Philly, OKC’s books are wide open after this season, as Williams and Holmgren will still be on their rookie deals in 2024-25. The Thunder could hold onto their draft assets and gamble on making a run at Anunoby in free agency this summer, but they might be better served to get him in their building now in order to maximize their chances of reeling him in.
Frankly, given the sheer volume of picks OKC has in their possession (14 over the next 6 drafts), they have assets to burn. From Toronto’s point of view, this is ideal: They can ask for the moon and still end up with a great haul once the inevitable compromise is reached. The matching salary in the deal would almost certainly be Davis Bertans ($17.0M), but the Raptors might be able to push for Dort (a Quebec native). If it’s players they prefer, the Thunder could be willing to move Josh Giddey or Ousmane Dieng.
Sacramento Kings:
The Kings sniffed around forward upgrades over the summer, and recent reports indicate that they’re still actively seeking out upgrades. Sacramento already has their offensive engines (De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis) in place, but they could stand to upgrade their defense (114.3 DRTG).
The Kings are coming off their most successful season in nearly two decades, and it seems they are eager to keep the positive momentum going. While one could argue that they’re likely not a championship contender even with Anunoby in the fold, he probably represents their most viable path to cementing themselves as a perennial playoff team. He’d be an upgrade over Harrison Barnes at both ends, and would give Fox a nice running mate in transition while still being able to space the floor for Sabonis in the halfcourt.
Sacramento has no path to opening up adequate cap space to sign Anunoby in free agency, so they need to get this deal done now in order to hold OG’s Bird Rights if they want him on the team long term. Barnes is the most likely matching salary, but Kevin Huerter could intrigue Toronto as well. Unlike Philly and OKC, the Kings don’t have an obvious expiring contract to attach to picks in order to avoid relinquishing a helpful player. They also don’t have as many picks to move: They owe their 2024 1st to Atlanta, and they have no additional picks in the future (besides their own) that they can trade.
Toronto is reportedly interested in Keegan Murray, and that would be a home run if the Raps can reel him in. The Kings have made it clear (for now) that the young wing is off the table, but if they get desperate that might change: This is, after all, the organization that traded Tyrese Haliburton in an in-season move back in 2022.
Indiana Pacers:
Speaking of Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers make a ton of sense as an Anunoby suitor. They have the NBA’s best offense, but their defense currently ranks 28th, and they have a massive hole on the wing.
Anunoby might not be the secondary scorer this team also lacks, but Haliburton has shown that he can juice an offense to incredible heights, and Anunoby can fit in seamlessly in their uptempo scheme. Additionally, Anunoby’s penchant for turnover creation as a defender would help Indy’s non-Haliburton lineups get out in transition and create easy buckets.
Like Oklahoma City, Indiana has a path to opening up the necessary cap space to take a run at Anunoby in free agency. The allure of being set up by Tyrese Haliburton may be enough to entice a player like OG, but if Indy really has their sights set on Anunoby, it’s a far safer move to be proactive and strike first. The Pacers have an extra first rounder they can move in 2024, as well as control of all their future drafts.
The only real option in terms of matching salary is Buddy Hield, who has quietly become an important part of Indiana’s offense. I think both sides might be more likely to build the package around Bennedict Mathurin, who is Canadian born and has flashed upside as a scorer, but has also found it difficult to stick in Rick Carlisle’s starting lineup. Indy would have to cobble together a couple other contracts to make the money work, but it’s doable, and including Mathurin might allow the Pacers to hang on to all their draft picks.
It’s entirely possible that the Raptors decide they would rather hang onto Anunoby, especially if they decide to move one of their other high profile trade candidates, Pascal Siakam. Toronto could roll the dice and take their chances on re-signing OG: He has not made any public declarations about wanting to leave, and he’s an excellent player who is still relatively young.
However, the Raps chose to sit on their hands with Fred VanVleet at last year’s deadline, and that came back to bite them when he took his talents to Houston in free agency. Toronto cannot allow the same thing to happen in consecutive offseasons. If they have any doubt about their ability to re-sign Anunoby, they need to move him as quickly as possible and recoup whatever they can.
For the rest of the league, Anunoby is worth a premium price. The chance to acquire players who can impact winning at such a high level is rare. I almost like him more as a fit for teams on the upswing, as locking in that elite role player gives the team one less thing to worry about once they do reach contender status. What an Anunoby trade looks like and which team he ends up with will have major ramifications for the league in two facets: On-court competition, and further intel on what 3&D wings are worth on the trade market.
West Coast Hoops 