The New York Knicks are again linked to Donovan Mitchell in the wake of the mounting injuries in Cleveland. But for Bill Simmons of The Ringer, he’d rather want the Knicks to make another trade before revisiting Mitchell in the offseason.
Simmon’s proposal is a straight swap involving RJ Barrett and Toronto Raptors’ OG Anunoby, plus one of the Knicks’ protected picks from other teams.
“If you’re Toronto, why wouldn’t you just flip in OG for Barrett, grab one of those [Knicks] protected picks and just call it a day,” Simmons said on the December 19 episode of “The Bill Simmons” podcast. “I actually like Barrett.”
Simmons wondered if the Knicks were the perfect team for Barrett to realize his potential as the No. 3 pick of the 2019 NBA Draft.
“But when I look at a team like Toronto, I actually think he’d fit better plus, he’s Canadian,” Simmons said of Barrett.
The Raptors are risking losing Anunoby for nothing like they did with Fred VanVleet last summer.
“I still don’t really understand that strategy,” Simmons said of the Raptors.
Anunoby is widely expected to decline his $19.9 million player option next season to test free agency. On the other hand, Barrett’s $107 million, four-year extension that could reach up to $120 million will kick in next season.
“To me, that’s a trade that made the salaries match up and if I were the Knicks, I would rather do that and see what it looks like before I make the Mitchell trade.”
OG Anunoby Will Solidify Knicks Defense
The 26-year-old Anunoby was named to the All-Defensive Second Team last season after leading the league in steals (1.9 per game).
Bigger and way better defender than Barrett, the 6-foot-7 Anunoby boasts a 7-2 wingspan. Slotting Anunoby next to a Jalen Brunson–Donte DiVincenzo backcourt will immediately boost the Knicks’ perimeter defense.
With Anunoby, the Knicks will have a reliable defender who can match up with the elite wings in the East such as Jayson Tatum and Jimmy Butler and cover smaller lead guards like Tyrese Maxey and Damian Lillard.
Perfect Knicks’ 3-and-D
Anunoby is also a more consistent 3-point shooter than Barrett. A career 37.5% 3-point shooter, Anunoby has never shot below 36% from deep since 2018-19, the season before Barrett entered the league.
Barrett’s defense has regressed over time and his outside shot remains suspect. He is only knocking down 34.6% of his 3s this season as he cooled off after a hot start. He’s never shot above 35% from downtown since his career-high 40.1% during his sophomore year, which proves to be an outlier.
Swapping Barrett for Anunoby will also avoid the Knicks’ potential problem of too many mouths to feed.
Jericho Sims Injury Update
The Knicks suffered another major blow after Jericho Sims was ruled out for one to two weeks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. They are already without starting center Mitchell Robinson (left ankle), who is out for at least two months.
Sims sustained an ankle injury in the opening minutes of the Knicks’ road win against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, December 18.
The Knicks are left with Isaiah Hartenstein and the recently signed veteran Taj Gibson as their remaining bigs.
