O.G. Anunoby’s name always seems to come up in trade conversations, but the Raptors have been reluctant to trade him to this point.
This past offseason the Raptors were involved in the Damian Lillard sweepstakes. There were said to be the frontrunner, but ultimately they didn’t get a deal done and Lillard got traded to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Raptors reportedly didn’t want to trade Anunoby for Lillard.
Teams will continue to have their eye on Anunoby like the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sacramento Kings could target him as well.
Anunoby is a player that attracts a lot of interest because of his highly sought-after skillset.
He has become one of the best 3-And-D players in the league. Anunoby is averaging 14.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals 0.7 blocks on 47.5 percent shooting from the field and 41.5 percent shooting from deep.
However, it’s his standout defense that has been most impressive.
Anunoby continues to do a great job against some of the NBA’s top offensive talents:
O.G. Anunoby on defense this season:
DeMar DeRozan: 3/14 FG (21.4%)
Victor Wembanyama: 4/11 FG (36.4%)
Anthony Edwards: 1/10 FG (10%)
Franz Wagner: 3/8 FG (37.5%)
Donovan Mitchell: 2/7 FG (28.6%)
Devin Booker: 0/3 FG (0%)
Karl-Anthony Towns: 0/3 FG (0%)
Joel Embiid: 0/2 FG (0%)… pic.twitter.com/TNuqJcuNRc— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 30, 2023
Anunoby is playing some his best defense and is having his best three-point shooting season so far. He is showing why the Raptors have been unwilling to trade him.
Anunoby set to become an unrestricted free agent
Anunoby is expected to decline his $19.93 million player option and become one of the top unrestricted free agents this summer.
According to HoopsHype’s Michal Scotto, the Raptors are concerned about potential teams who could give Anunoby a shorter-term max contract due to the weak free agent market.
Regardless, the Raptors need to do whatever it takes to re-sign him. If they aren’t going to trade him then they can’t afford to lose a player of his calibre for nothing.
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