Knicks Contract Could Age Horribly

The New York Knicks have one contract on the roster that may not live up to expectations.

Feb 21, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during the first half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks signed OG Anunoby to a five-year, $212.5 million deal to become one of the team's top players en route to a championship someday.

While it is still very early in the life of the deal, the Knicks need something to change if Anunoby is going to be worth the amount of money he received.

That's why Bleacher Report writer Eric Pincus named Anunoby the third-worst value contract for the next two years.

"Despite his age, the Toronto Raptors weren't willing to reinvest in Anunoby, possibly because they were concerned about his durability. The Knicks sent RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to Toronto for Anunoby (among others, including Precious Achiuwa) and then gave the defensive-minded forward a very healthy new contract," Pincus writes.

"Unfortunately, he wasn't consistently healthy during the last playoff run and has been in and out of the lineup this season. He seems to be breaking down physically ahead of schedule, and a significant amount of money is still due."

It is a bit ironic that the Knicks are paying Anunoby more money than anyone on the team when two of his other teammates were All-Star starters this past season.

Anunoby is likely seen as the fifth-best player on the team behind Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, and even Josh Hart, who has enjoyed arguably the best season of his career this year.

For the fifth option to have more money than anyone on the roster does make things challenging. However, the Knicks felt Anunoby was worth that money at the time.

Few were faulting the Knicks for awarding the contract at the time, especially considering how well New York was playing with him on the floor last season.

In order for this contract to be worth it for the Knicks, the team has to play similar to how they did when Anunoby first arrived, and a championship also wouldn't hurt the value.

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