The New York Knicks have been making moves. Not long after pulling the trigger on a blockbuster trade deal with the Brooklyn Nets for Mikal Bridges, the Knicks then went on to secure OG Anunoby to a five-year extension with $212.5 million.
As it turns out, however, Anunoby actually took a pay cut in order to remain in New York. According to reports, the former All-Defense swingman could have actually gotten max money elsewhere.
New York Knicks News: OG Anunoby Churned Opportunity for Max Deal
![New York Knicks: The Staggering Amount of Max Money OG Anunoby Spurned in Favor of $212,500,000 NY Extension 1 New York Knicks, OG Anunoby](https://www.hardwoodheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/USATSI_23182888-scaled.jpg)
The Knicks clearly wanted to keep Anunoby. For his part, the 26-year-old exhibited his loyalty to the team by putting pen to paper on a new deal that will keep him in the Big Apple for the next five years.
According to a report by SNY’s Ian Begley, however, Anunoby actually lost out on quite a bit of money by choosing not to explore his option in free agency:
“After Anunoby declined to exercise the 2024-25 player option on his contract and became an unrestricted free agent earlier this week, it was a high priority for the Knicks to re-sign the forward.
“Anunoby would have had max offers from other places, but saw the vision with the Knicks and wanted to help build a true contender in New York, sources told Begley,” read the report.
How Much Money Did OG Anunoby Lose?
![New York Knicks: The Staggering Amount of Max Money OG Anunoby Spurned in Favor of $212,500,000 NY Extension 2 USATSI 22779046 168400517 lowres](https://www.hardwoodheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/USATSI_22779046_168400517_lowres.jpg)
Anunoby has firmly established himself as one of the top small forwards in the NBA today. As such, it isn’t surprising that opposing teams were willing to offer him a max extension had he decided to become a free agent.
According to a report by Fred Katz of The Athletic, Anunoby could have secured a new deal worth $245.3 million for five years. That’s roughly $49 million a year, which pales in comparison to his new average annual income of $42.5 million with the Knicks.
Either way, that’s still considerably more than the $19.9 million Anunoby would have pocketed if he decided to opt into the final year of his current contract.
![New York Knicks: The Staggering Amount of Max Money OG Anunoby Spurned in Favor of $212,500,000 NY Extension 3 New York Knicks, OG Anunoby](https://www.hardwoodheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/USATSI_22760817_168400517_lowres.jpg)
For More NBA Content:
Follow me on Twitter at @PaoloSongcoNBA, and follow us @HardwoodHeroics. You can also reach out to Paolo Songco via email at [email protected]. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest NBA news, click here!