The Toronto Raptors have picked up the team option in OG Anunoby's contract for the 2020-21 season, as first reported by The Athletic's Shams Charania and Blake Murphy.
The Raptors have picked up their 2020-21 team option on OG Anunoby, sources tell @ShamsCharania and me.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) October 4, 2019
No surprise here. This was largely a no-brainer as Anunoby looks to step into a larger role and a potential breakout year.
Murphy also reported that Anunoby's "optimism has been high in training camp so far," which is expected out of the third-year forward who is in line for a breakout season in 2019-20.
MORE: Best, worst-case scenario for Anunoby this season
The team option was for $3.87 million. Anunoby is now extension eligible next summer. If he and the Raptors can't come to an agreement on an extension, he will then be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2021.
The No. 23 overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft is coming off of an injury-riddled season in which he played in 67 games, posting 7.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, shooting 45.3% from the field and 33.2% from 3-point range.
It was a step back from the promising campaign Anunoby put together as a rookie, playing a key defensive role in trying to slow down LeBron James during the Raptors' 2018 playoff run. After a healthy summer, Anunoby should have no issues getting back on the right track in progressing to become the player Toronto drafted him to be.
MORE: How high is Anunoby's ceiling?
Anunoby is expected to compete for a starting role in training camp, but at the very least, he'll be a key piece of this newly-built Raptors rotation as they attempt to defend their 2019 NBA championship.