TORONTO — The Knicks kept their assemblage of first-round picks and emerging young players rather than sacrificing them in a massive trade for Donovan Mitchell over the summer, with the wait and see as other NBA stars could be made available before the February transaction deadline.
On Friday night, the Knicks face a plummeting team that may be heading for a takedown, in their first of three games against the skidding Raptors over the next 17 days.
There has already been speculation in the league that Toronto – losing 13 of its last 18 games to drop to 12th in the Eastern Conference at 16-22 overall – is planning to smash its talented core to reload his list.
Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby could potentially be hit trade tokens for the Raptors, perhaps bringing returns approaching the runs the Jazz salvaged for Mitchell and All-Star center Rudy Gobert from the Cavaliers and Timberwolves, respectively.
Siakam, 28, who scored the Knicks for a career-high 52 points in a Toronto win at the Garden on Dec. 21. 21, is averaging 25.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.6 assists while leading the league for a second straight season in minutes played at 37.2 per game in 28 appearances. The 6-foot-8 forward is earning $35.5 million this year and is signed through next season at $37.9 million.
The Knicks had Julius Randle playing at All-Star level As a power forward over the past month, averaging 29.1 points and 12.4 rebounds per game over his last 15 appearances since Dec. 21. 7.
The Knicks had already expressed interest in Anunoby earlier this season, according to a recent report from SNY. The 25-year-old two-way wing is also signed through 2023-24 at a reasonable price of $18.6 million guaranteed for next season, plus a player option for $19.9 million for 2024-25.
Anunoby hit a career-high 18.5 points this season while shooting 34.8 percent from 3-point range and leading the NBA with 2.2 steals per game in Wednesday’s overtime loss to the Carolinas. Bucks.
The Knicks own nine first-round picks over the next five NBA drafts, but they resisted the inclusion of sophomore guard Quentin Grimes in trade talks over the summer with the Jazz involving Mitchell, the three-time All-Star who posted a 71-point Monday game for the Cavaliers against the Bulls.
In August, the Knicks signed Toronto native RJ Barrett, who will miss his fifth straight game with a lacerated finger, to a four-year contract extension worth $107 million guaranteed.
The Knicks (21-18) have won 11 of their last 16 games – neatly divided into an eight-game winning streak, a five-game loss and three more straight wins – with young players such as Grimes, Immanuel Quickley, Miles McBride and Jericho Sims played expanded roles. Obi Toppin is also set to return from a broken fibula which has kept him out since December 13. 7.
With Barrett sidelined and with $104 million point guard Jalen Brunson sitting out the Knicks’ three-game trip to Texas last week before returning to play in wins Monday over the Suns and Wednesday over the Spurs, Quickley recorded 43.1 minutes per game in five consecutive starts. , playing both point guard and shooter. He scored 21.7 points and 7.4 assists per game during that streak.
“I feel good, I worked on my conditioning all summer to be able to play big minutes. So I’m going to keep trying to prepare,” Quickley said after scoring 15 points in Wednesday’s win over San Antonio. “I liked [starting]. When I start, I get into the introductory range. When I’m on the bench, I check in with five minutes to go [in the first quarter].
“But it was a good start, I played a lot of minutes, I enjoyed it. I liked getting a win on top of that. That’s the best part about it, is when you can affect victory.
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