OG Anunoby is averaging nearly 21.5 points in the playoffs for the Knicks, making Golden State’s decision not to trade for him years ago look increasingly costly
The Warriors Jonathan Kuminga trade is looking more painful with every New York Knicks playoff game. OG Anunoby is having a dominant postseason run, and Golden State fans cannot help but connect the dots back to 2023, when the Warriors made a serious push to acquire him but ultimately walked away from the asking price. Since then, Kuminga has been traded twice, Anunoby has become a playoff star, and the Warriors are watching from the outside without the wing depth they desperately need.
How the Warriors missed out on OG Anunoby
The story begins at the 2023 trade deadline. According to reporting from C.J. Holmes, then of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Warriors made a hard push for Anunoby but were unwilling to meet the demands of then Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri. Specifically, Ujiri wanted Jonathan Kuminga, additional players and draft picks as part of the deal. Golden State held back, partly because the front office believed Kuminga could develop into an Anunoby-level player over time. As a result, they decided the cost was simply too high.
Toronto eventually traded Anunoby to the New York Knicks in December 2023 for a package that included RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a second-round pick. In hindsight, furthermore, that is a package the Warriors could have comfortably surpassed if they had been willing to move forward at the deadline months earlier.
What happened to Jonathan Kuminga
Kuminga never consistently became the player Golden State hoped he could be. This past season, the Warriors ultimately traded him to the Atlanta Hawks in a deal that brought back Kristaps Porzingis. That move closed the chapter on Kuminga’s time in San Francisco without the return the organization might have envisioned when they first declined to include him in an Anunoby deal years ago.
Moreover, the timing of Kuminga’s exit has made the situation more difficult to absorb. Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody both suffered long-term injuries, leaving the Warriors without the wing size and athleticism they need to compete at a high level. Consequently, the position Anunoby would have filled is now one of the team’s most glaring weaknesses.
How Anunoby is performing for the Knicks
Anunoby had a strong regular season with New York, averaging 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He shot 48.4% from the floor and 38.7% from three-point range. He also finished 10th in Defensive Player of the Year voting, reflecting his continued impact on that end of the floor.
His playoff numbers, however, have taken things to another level entirely. Through the first eight games of the postseason, Anunoby is averaging nearly 21.5 points per game. Additionally, he is shooting over 61.9% from the floor and 53.8% from three-point range — numbers that are almost impossible to believe under playoff pressure. In the Knicks’ Game 2 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, he went for 24 points, five rebounds, two assists and four steals in over 37 minutes of action.
Why this continues to sting for Golden State
The Warriors Jonathan Kuminga trade decision carries a compounding cost. First, they passed on Anunoby when they had the chance. Then, they held onto Kuminga without getting the consistent production they needed. Finally, they traded him away without landing a difference-maker in return. Each step has widened the gap between where Golden State is now and where they could have been.
As Anunoby continues to perform at an elite level in the playoffs, the gap only becomes more visible.
Source: Blue Man Hoop / FanSided
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