There are still plenty of games left to be played in the 2024-25 regular season. Likewise, there is an entire postseason of NBA basketball that needs to be taken care of too. Both of those should heavily feature the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite that, it has not stopped certain outlets from already looking ahead to the NBA offseason.
Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report recently published an article suggesting one trade every team should propose on the first day of the NBA offseason. One of those 30 deals will be the focus here today. Swartz pitched the following move as one that the New York Knicks should make the call for once the moment allows for it.
Anunoby to Lakers
It is time to put the thinking cap on and see if this is a move that makes sense for the Lakers.
Lakers secure elite role player at steep cost
Swartz highlighted financial flexibility and added depth as the motivating factors for the Knicks in this deal. With Mikal Bridges in need of a new extension, OG Anunboy's $212.5 million deal sticks out as an overpay for New York.
Thus, the idea is to get more balanced with the acquisitions of Rui Hachimura, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Dalton Knecht. For the Knicks, it does make some sense. For the Lakers, it gets a little trickier.
No one will sit here and question Anunboy's status as an elite player within the ramifications of what is asked of him. The two-way wing is a tremendous defender, with plenty of versatility due to his strength and lateral movement. It would offer the Lakers a player who can routinely be tasked to face the opponent's top offensive option every night.
Anunoby is also a valuable offensive player for a couple of reasons. The former Toronto Raptors star has proven to be a low maintenance player on that end due to his strong off-ball abilities. Anunoby can excel as both a slasher and shooter without needing the basketball in his hands.
During the 2024-25 season, the British-born baller has averaged 16.5 points with shooting splits of 47-37-80. Those splits do not do Anunoby justice either. The forward has proven capable of knocking down closer to 40 percent from triple, displaying seasons where he shot 39.8, 39.0, 38.7, and 38.2 from downtown. That kind of shooting and slashing would make him a perfect fit in an offense beside Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
In general, Anunoby is the mold of player that any contender loves to have on their roster. There are just a few notable issues with this proposed deal.
The first of those would be the whole reasoning suggested by Swartz for the deal in the first place: finances. Anunoby is great at what he does but paying him close to $40 million next year and then upwards of that value for every following season is a tough ask. This is especially true in the immediate future for a team that has a large chunk of their cap already tied to Doncic and James.
Maybe LeBron would be willing to opt out of his contract this offseason and take a significant pay cut to help the Lakers push for a championship, but that is a difficult thing to bank on.
The other concern would be Anunoby's history with injuries. The talented defender has only played more than 70 games once in his career, to this point. To label Anunoby as injury prone would be slightly inaccurate, but the forward has been prone to dealing with some odd ailments that have forced him to miss significant chunks of individual seasons. Having that type of worry with a max player is far from an ideal situation.
Knicks grade: A-
New York gets three solid rotational players in this move. Knecht also offers long-term upside for the team as well.
Lakers grade: B-
Anunoby is a fantastic talent, but his contract, injury history, and the steep price to acquire him make this a move that is tough to envision as super attractive for Los Angeles.
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