NBA News: A mystery team has emerged as a suitor for OG Anunoby

With the Toronto Raptors reportedly planning to make major changes to their roster, it appears that almost everyone is available. That includes OG Anunoby, who is considered one of the best young players in the NBA and is also believed to be unhappy in Toronto.

New Orleans Pelicans star CJ McCollum hinted as much recently based on what he’s heard, and other teams may have heard the same.

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However, while Anunoby is apparently unhappy and technically obtainable, the asking price is a haul similar to the one the San Antonio Spurs received in the Dejounte Murray trade. That trade netted them three first-round picks, two of them completely unprotected in 2025 and 2027, as well as first-round pick swap rights in 2026. Not every team is capable of replicating such an offer, but it appears that one team has.

Raptors: A mystery team has emerged as a suitor for OG Anunoby.

While we don’t yet know which team is aggressively pursuing Anunoby, the process of elimination helps narrow down the potential teams considerably. After all, very few teams even have three first-round picks to offer up or are limited by the outdated Stepien rule. As a result, there are five possible candidates: the Oklahoma City Thunder, the New York Knicks, the San Antonio Spurs, the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Phoenix Suns.

The Thunder could have an interest in Anunoby, and they do have the most draft picks in the NBA. They are also playing very well of late, so cashing in some of their treasure trove of picks for Anunoby makes sense. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anunoby, and a healthy Chet Holmgren, the Thunder would finally have another talented young core to build around, and they already have several good young players like Jaylen Williams and Josh Giddey.

The Spurs are also flush with picks and, ironically, are already in negotiations with the Raptors on a trade involving Jakob Poeltl. Perhaps they are interested in Anunoby and have offered Poeltl and three first-round picks to try to land him.

That said, Anunoby would make for an awkward fit in San Antonio, with the team already having two talented wings in Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson, as well as 2022 top-10 pick Jeremy Sochan at the four. It could be a talent play, however, since he’s available and they have a player that the Raptors want. Also, the Spurs likely know they aren’t going to be able to use all thirteen first-round picks they have over the next seven drafts, so offering three first-round picks shouldn’t be an issue for the team.

Raptors: Several playoff teams could be in the mix for Anunoby.

While the Thunder and Spurs are rebuilding teams, the Knicks, Pelicans, and Suns are all playoff teams who happen to have a lot of assets. The Knicks have held on to most of their firsts and received three from the Thunder this past summer. They could cash in those assets that were initially meant for a Donovan Mitchell trade to try and land Anunoby.

The Suns have struggled this season, mainly due to injury, and they have a rare opportunity to use the expiring contracts of Dario Saric and Jae Crowder and their available first-rounders to try and make both a win-now move as well as a move for the future.

As for the Pelicans, they already have an embarrassment of riches with Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollom, and a solid supporting cast. However, they also have plenty of assets, in part thanks to the Anthony Davis deal, allowing them to make a splashy move like acquiring Anunoby.

Overall, while we don’t yet know which team offered three first-round picks for Anunoby, there are only a few possibilities. Whether any of those teams or any team can land Anunoby remains to be seen, but we won’t have to wait long to find out.