The New York Knicks have made their second move in the offseason in an attempt to challenge and match up side by side with the NBA Champions Boston Celtics.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Knicks have reached an agreement with free agent forward OG Anunoby to resign with the team on a five-year, $212.5 million deal.

This ends the speculation that Anunoby might be leaving New York with the sides reaching a deal worth up to $40 million annually. 

Anunoby was acquired by the Knicks last season in a mid-season trade with the Toronto Raptors in exchange for RJ Barrett. New York has played immensely better with Anunoby, massively improving their defense. In turn, the Knicks earned the no.2 seed in the East en route to an Eastern Conference semifinals appearance before falling to the Indiana Pacers in seven games.

Locking Anunoby up with a five-year deal will now put the Knicks into prime contention in the East for the foreseeable future, and this allows them to match up with the NBA-champion Boston Celtics. With the recent acquisition of Mikal Bridges, the Knicks now have two high-level two-way wings to pair up with star point guard Jalen Brunson.