The New York Knicks were part of the second big trade in the NBA this season, completing a deal with the Toronto Raptors last weekend. The Knicks acquired forward OG Anunoby, big man Precious Achiuwa and point guard Malachi Flynn in exchange for Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and a 2024 second-round pick via the Detroit Pistons.
It was a deal that drew many different reactions and will shake up the future of both franchises. For the Knicks, people around the NBA are waiting for the other shoe to drop. Many analysts believe this is the first of several trades that the team will be making.
It would make sense that more is on the way as the Knicks have a few holes on their roster to fill. Anunoby is a massive upgrade on Barrett as the starting small forward, but losing Quickley certainly hurts.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Leon Rose, Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks Updates
Without him, the Knicks are one ball-handler and shot-creator short. There is a ton of pressure on Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle as the hubs offensively. Miles McBride, who isn’t the offensive player Quickley is, looks like he will be given the first chance at backup point guard minutes.
In addition to some shot-creation help, the Knicks could use some more size in their frontcourt. Achiuwa is a solid addition but is a little bit undersized in some matchups at the center spot. He can be used as a backup to Randle at power forward, along with Anunoby, but adding another big man certainly won’t hurt.
It will be interesting to see what Leon Rose and the team’s front office come up with in the weeks leading up to the NBA Trade Deadline. New York has plenty of assets to build a track package around depending on how big of a move they want to make.
However, there is one asset that sticks out among the rest. During a recent episode of The Lowe Post podcast hosted by Zach Lowe, Kevin Pelton made an appearance. In Pelton’s opinion, the Pistons first-round pick that the Knicks own is an underrated asset that teams should be looking to acquire in trade talks.
“If I were running another team, that would be the single pick I’d be trying to get more than any other pick in the league because I think it’s undervalued,” Pelton said, via New York Basketball on X, formerly Twitter.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Leon Rose, Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks Updates
The Knicks acquired that Pistons pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder during a draft night trade in 2022. New York traded the draft rights to Ousmane Dieng in exchange for three future first-round draft picks, one of which was from Detroit. They also received a protected pick via the Washington Wizards and another pick, which was eventually re-routed to the Charlotte Hornets and used on Nick Smith Jr. in the 2023 NBA Draft.
The deal to move their 2022 first-round pick is part of what helped clear the way for the Knicks to sign point guard Jalen Brunson in free agency. Other moves were made to clear salary cap space, but the draft night trade with the Thunder was motivated to clear enough cap to bring in their new star.
It turns out, that adding Brunson isn’t the only positive to come out of that deal. In Pelton’s opinion, the Knicks should be able to use that protected first-rounder from Detroit to sweeten a package and land another impact player.
Want the latest NBA analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click Here. Follow NBA Analysis Network on Twitter and Facebook.
Interested in reading the latest storylines and analysis in the NFL? Check out our partner NFL Analysis Network.
