Insane OG Anunoby trade would complete Spurs' terrifying starting lineup

Could you imagine the Spurs trading for OG Anunoby? That's one of the least likely scenarios to happen, considering San Antonio's and New York's battle in the NBA Finals. But Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes listed the newly crowned Knicks champion as a potential trade target for the Silver and Black, so let's just imagine what that would look like.

Saving money would be the scenario we're operating under here, and it's not too far-fetched. Knicks owner James Dolan reportedly has no interest in paying the penalties that stem from going into the second apron. That stance will likely cost them Mitchell Robinson, but what if he wanted to take it a step further and reduce the payroll even more?

James Dolan could create an opening for the Spurs

After 53 years, he's delivered a championship to New York. Dolan has a long history of shelling out money, desperately trying to win a title. Now that he's done it, it's not hard to imagine the eccentric owner resting on his laurels. Moving OG's contract could be their way out of the second apron, and were that to happen, the Spurs would be crazy not to make a phone call.

Luke Kornet and Keldon Johnson could be packaged with a couple of picks to help New York shed salary. At that point, they could re-sign Mitchell Robinson and use Kornet as additional frontcourt depth, or not re-sign Robinson and just roll with an older but cheaper option. The Knicks could do much worse than Karl-Anthony Towns, Mohamed Diawara, and Kornet as their big men.

Keldon can slide into their starting lineup and give them another scorer. Johnson showed his fullest potential in 2022 as the lead man, dropping 20 points a night. While the defense won't be the same, small sacrifices must be made when clearing space. They'll still be an incredibly formidable team, and the added financial flexibility will allow them to add more depth.

Not to mention, New York will eventually need to consider getting younger as another means to save money. Stocking draft picks is the way you do that, and San Antonio has a few very valuable ones, such as their 2030 swap with the Timberwolves, for example.

OG Anunoby is exactly what the Spurs are missing

As for the Spurs, the reason they do it is easy. Anunoby is one of the best three-and-D wings in the league. Adding him to a lineup with Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama would cause headaches for opposing offenses, and his big-time shotmaking would help San Antonio close high-stakes games.

Wembanyama's extension will eventually force tougher cap choices. Inexpensive players like Carter Bryant, Tarris Reed Jr., and Jayden Quaintance will be essential to the Spurs' long-term outlook. Most fans will be pretty okay with that.

This all may seem like a long shot, but that doesn't mean there isn't logic to it. OG was a big part of the Knicks' title run, so they'll likely want to keep him. But if ownership decides they'd rather create more space using Anunoby's large contract, Brian Wright should be the first one to pick up the phone.

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