As the NBA trade deadline fast approaches, Toronto Raptors fans are left wondering what’s going to happen with one of the franchise’s main attractions.
Sixth-year forward O.G. Anunoby is rumored to be on the trading block, as the former Indiana Hoosier is in the midst of another strong season for the Raptors.
Anunoby is currently fourth on the team in scoring (16.9 points per game), while also matching his career high in rebounding (5.5 per game) this season.
The NBA’s trade deadline is Feb. 9, meaning GM Bobby Webster has less than a week to figure out what he wants to do with Anunoby, who is signed through the 2024-25 season.
The Raptors are currently in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, outside of the play-in game, but are less of a long shot than you might expect in Ontario sports betting NBA title odds (among the top 20 in the league at +10000).
OntarioBets.com analyzed the biggest needs and rumors swirling across the NBA to develop hypothetical odds of the most likely trade candidates for Anunoby’s services.
Odds of Anunoby’s Team After Trade Deadline
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Where We See O.G. Anunoby Playing Next
It seems like there will be no shortage of suitors for Anunoby’s services between now and Feb. 9, with several playoff contenders needing a solid small forward to round out their rotations.
While Anunoby is currently out with a wrist injury he suffered against the Warriors last Friday, the injury shouldn’t keep him out long, meaning he’ll be ready to roll by the time the deadline passes.
Western Conference contenders, such as No. 2-seeded Memphis — sixth in NBA championship odds at Ontario sports betting apps — along with playoff bubble teams like Phoenix and New Orleans, are sure to try their hand at landing Anunoby.
Anunoby seems like a no-doubt upgrade for any of those teams, with the Grizzlies looking for a more well-rounded shooter and defensive cog than Dillon Brooks, who is averaging 15.4 points per game but laboring through a year where he ranks 129th in the league in field goal percentage at 39.5%.
The Suns, meanwhile, have floundered to a 27-26 record, going 12-20 since Dec. 1 thanks in large part to injuries suffered by small forwards Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson.
Both forwards are healthy at the moment, but Suns GM James Jones could look to add another scoring threat to the team’s attack at the deadline.
The Pelicans, meanwhile, have lost 11 of their last 14 contests and are in dire need of an offensive boost, sitting in 10th place at 26-26.
Despite small forward Brandon Ingram posting career-high scoring numbers at 20.2 points per game, the Pelicans could still be in the market for another scoring option, possibly dangling a player like Naji Marshall in a trade with the Raptors.
Then you have the wild cards of the NBA, such as the New York Knicks, who always seem to be in the market for trades.
With New York currently sitting in seventh place at 27-25 and in position to make the playoffs for the first time since 2021 — but behind the Raptors in NBA championship odds at Caesars Sportsbook Ontario — it seems now is the time to think boldly.
The Knicks could dangle draft picks and players like Cam Reddish and Immanuel Quickley in a trade with the Raptors, which could sweeten the pot enough to make a deal happen before Feb. 9.
Toronto could also decide this year’s failures are an aberration and choose to run it back with Anunoby in 2023, which is why predicting what’s going to happen at the deadline is such a quagmire.
