Now that the Knicks have Mikal Bridges in the fold to challenge the NBA champion Boston Celtics, they need to sign OG Anunoby in free agency to complete their championship vision.
But one team that could be lurking to sign Anunoby if the Knicks don’t is their Atlantic Division rival, the 76ers.
“Now if you’re a team like the Philadelphia 76ers who are already looking up at the Celtics and now watch what the Knicks do,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said Wednesday on “Get Up.” “…If OG Anunoby gets to unrestricted free agency on Sunday without a deal for the Knicks, I don’t see a reason why the Sixers don’t come in hard after him with something close to that max offer.
“This is a huge benefit for Anunoby. Anunoby is the piece the Knicks need to combine now with MIkal Bridges to make this work. He’s free, he’s going to have to be paid like it. The Knicks don’t have any other players at that max level….They may have to pay a lot in salary to lock down OG Anunoby.”
The Sixers — or any other team — could offer Anunoby $182 million over four years — a $42.3 million starting salary with five percent raises in each ensuing season. But the Knicks can give Anunoby an extra year and eight percent annual raises, a contract that would rise to $245.3 million over five years, per The Athletic.
It’s worth nothing that one of Anunoby’s agents is Sam Rose, son of Knicks President Leon Rose.
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If the Sixers were to add Anunoby to a team that includes Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, they could challenge the Celtics and the Knicks atop the East.
Embiid is on record encouraging GM Daryl Morey to add a piece or pieces to bolster the Sixers so they can challenge the Celtics.
“I can’t stand them,” he said on ABC during the NBA Finals. “I can’t stand them. I hate Boston… it hurts me a lot. So hopefully this offseason we find a way to get better and add some pieces.”
By adding Anunoby, the Sixers would also be taking a much-needed piece away from one of their top rivals in the East.
“So they could steal him away, it makes them better, it makes the Knicks look weaker and it takes some of the wind out of the sails [of the Knicks’ offseason] ,” ESPN’s Alan Hahn said.
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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.
