The New York Knicks offseason has started with a bang, as they have traded for Mikal Bridges and intend to re-sign OG Anunoby to a five-year, $212 million contract.
The Knicks' blockbuster trade with the Nets to acquire Bridges gave them another elite 3-and-D wing. And while Anunoby was set to hit free agency and command a ton of interest, the Knicks have reportedly secured their star forward by using the built-in advantage of offering a fifth contract year (which only they could do).
According to ESPN's Zach Lowe, one of the most respected minds in the NBA media world, with Bridges and Anunoby in the folds, the Knicks may have one of the most fearsome defensive combos in the NBA.
"The Knicks will start Anunoby and Bridges together — instantly forming maybe the single best defensive wing tandem in the NBA," Lowe wrote on Friday.
Bridges was named All-Defensive First Team in 2021-22 and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Anunoby has only made one All-Defensive Team (in 2022-23) but is widely considered one of the best defenders in the league and one of the few capable of guarding all five positions.
Bridges is slightly smaller than Anunoby and figures to guard opponents' best back-court players while Anunoby can defend top forwards.
The Knicks' acquisition of Bridges (combined with the presumed re-signing of Anunoby) was a clear shot at the Boston Celtics, who employ the fearsome wing duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Bridges and Anunoby are about as good of a matchup as a team can ask for against the Celtics' All-Stars.
But the Knicks also emulating the Celtics in ways, adding elite role players who can defend, shoot, and slash around their superstar in Jalen Brunson.
The NBA has shown before that exciting on-paper fits don't always live up to the hype. But there are only a handful of truly elite defenders who can also hit threes and create their own shots. The Knicks now have two of them.
