Latest announcement proves Raptors should have negotiated harder in Anunoby trade

The Toronto Raptors won the OG Anunoby trade, but that doesn't mean they couldn't have done even better.

The New York Knicks are likely quite happy with the deal, as OG Anunoby is the exact sort of two-way wing you want on a contending team, and the lineup versatility with OG and Mikal Bridges is elite. It cost the Knicks an exhorbitant amount of money to re-sign him, but that money is invested in a player who can raise their ceiling as a title contender.

For the Raptors, operating without championship aspirations, the return they got for Anunoby was substantial. Immanuel Quickley has the room to develop into a Top-15 point guard in the league, RJ Barrett has played the best basketball of his career since joining the Raptors, and they picked up the first pick of the second round to boot. It feels like a home run deal for Toronto.

A new piece of information was just announced, however, and it indicates that the Raptors may have had room to do even better in the deal.

The Raptors missed out

The New York Knicks just agreed to a one-year, $6 million contract with Precious Achiuwa to be their backup center heading into the 2024-25 NBA season. Achiuwa joined the Raptors as a part of the Kyle lowry sign-and-trade and spent the last few seasons north of the border before he was included as something of a throw-in to the OG Anunoby trade.

The Knicks desperately needed another capable center, and Achiuwa played well for them in the playoffs when players were dropping like flies and he was pressed into service, even starting at the 4 at times. His switchability fits like a glove with Anunoby, Bridges and Josh Hart, opening up plenty of lineup combinations to maximize the speed and defensive impact of those players.

It is possible that the Knicks negotiated hard for Achiuwa's inclusion in the deal, either because they saw vlaue in him as a player or because of his expiring contract. If the Raptors could have included a different player, however, they would have retained Achiuwa, and would have been in the driver's seat to bring him back.

The Knicks had a need at center, but so do the Raptors; Jakob Poeltl is entrenched as the starter for as long as the team keeps him around, but behind him it's the defensively incapable Kelly Olynyk and a pair of late-draft rookies. Having a player like Achiuwa around would have given them depth at the position and a mobile big to pair with Scottie Barnes in switching lineups.

To sign Achiuwa for just $6 million is a coup for the Knicks, and the Raptors certainly wish it was their coup to make. They have lost a number of valuable players over the past year; some of them for value, such as Anunoby and Pascal Siakam, but others like Achiuwa who seem like accidental casualties.

Toronto was in the driver's seat for their negotiations with the Knicks, and likely could have extracted another sliver of value by including Jalen McDaniels or Thaddeus Young instead of Achiuwa. Instead, the Knicks will head into next season with a bargain at backup center, and the Raptors will go in with question marks at the position.