Knicks steal ideal wing trade target from Memphis Grizzlies

Trade season has officially come into full swing and the Memphis Grizzlies have unfortunately already felt the negative ramifications of such a time period.

Saturday morning, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported via X (previously Twitter) that the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors are "finalizing" a trade to send veteran wing OG Anunoby to the Big Apple. Per the report, the package includes RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and draft considerations heading up north to Canada.

Ideal Grizzlies target OG Anunoby traded to the New York Knicks

Though not possessing any truly catastrophic ripple effects by any means, as both franchises reside in a completely different conference, for nearly a year now Anunoby has been considered a possible upgrade for the wing-needy Grizzlies and has even been tabbed as an ideal target for the club to pursue via trade this season.

A player that the Grizzlies "had high, high interest" in acquiring, Anunoby is a seven-year pro who possesses championship experience, enviable size (6-foot-7, 232 pounds with a 7-foot-2 wingspan), and high-end, two-way capabilities.

Since establishing himself as a go-to rotational option back in 2020-21, the 27-year-old has boasted impressive all-around averages of 16.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and just over half a block per game while shooting 46.9 percent from the floor and 38.1 percent from deep.

This season has proven to be more of the same brand of overall excellence from the small forward, as he's putting up 15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.0 steals, and half a block on 48.9 percent from the floor and 37.4 percent from deep.

With Anunoby now off the market, the Grizzlies must look to other potential options on the trade block to help improve upon their major rotational disparity. They could perhaps even look to his former Raptors cohort Pascal Siakam, who has been rumored to be a worthwhile target for GM Zach Kleiman to hone in on.