Tag: og anunoby

On what moves the Raptors could look to make

Here’s the Toronto Sun with speculation on what moves the Raptors might explore down the road:

But if we had to guess which way the Raptors’ front office is leaning right now based on their history and past preference, it would lean towards the smaller more time-sensitive moves now, followed by the bigger ones in the off-season.

Fitting the time-sensitive definition would be something like a Gary Trent Jr. trade. Trent Jr. can move on from the Raptors this summer for nothing in return. And if you’re reading the tea leaves, or in this case C.J. McCollum’s take that the Raptors will do something, Trent Jr. moving would seem to be the most likely bet…

The big dominos that could fall — everyone from Fred VanVleet to O.G. Anunoby’s names have been mentioned in one form or another — again based on Raptors front office history, if they are moved it’s much more likely they will be moved in the summer.

The Raptors are 20-26 this season, which is the 11th best record in the Eastern conference.

Their leading scorers so far in 2022-23 are Pascal Siakam at 25.1 PPG, Fred VanVleet at 18.9 PPG, Gary Trent Jr. at 18.5 PPG, O.G. Anunoby at 17.5 PPG, and Scottie Barnes at 15.7 PPG.

Raptors sign OG Anunoby to contract extension

The Toronto Raptors yesterday signed forward OG Anunoby to a multi-year contract extension.

Per the Toronto Star, Anunoby’s extension is a four-year deal worth $72 million USD.

“OG is the epitome of the skilled, powerful, determined player we want in our organization long-term. Remember, he doesn’t shoot to miss,” general manager Bobby Webster said. “We’re really pleased that OG will be with us for seasons to come.”

Per the Toronto Star, “given the diminished 2021 NBA free agent class and Anunoby’s obvious value to the Raptors, the deal was a no-brainer for each side. The Raptors get a young player on a team-friendly deal, while Anunoby has the comfort of a lucrative contract and can exercise an out after the third year if things sour with Toronto.”

Anunoby, 6-foot-8, 232 pounds, averaged career highs of 10.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 29.9 minutes in 69 games (68 starts) last season. He shot career bests of .505 (286-566) from the field, .390 (89-228) from three-point range and .706 (72-102) at the free throw line. Anunoby had six 20-point outings and recorded five double-doubles.

More from the Star: “The one burning question most fans will have in light of the signing —how much money will the Raptors have to spend in free agency next summer — is impossible to answer with any certainty.”

In the 2020 postseason, Anunoby helped the Raptors reach the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In 11 games (all starts), he averaged 10.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 35.7 minutes.

Entering his fourth season, Anunoby owns career averages of 7.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 23.3 minutes in 210 games (136 starts). As a sophomore, he participated in the 2019 MTN DEW Rising Stars game during NBA All-Star weekend in Charlotte.

A native of London, England, Anunoby played two seasons at Indiana prior to being picked 23rd overall by the Raptors in the 2017 NBA Draft.