Immanuel Quickley,announcement that he is leaving the New York Knicks now presents another significant issue for the team.
According to Michael Scotto from HoopsHype, the New York Knicks offered upcoming restricted free agent Immanuel Quickley $18 million per year on a possible rookie extension, with Quickley himself looking for annual compensation in the range of $25 million per year.
Given the NBAs strong finances, which are bound to increase even further when they sign a new TV deal, New York’s failure to lock up Quickley, who looks like a future star, is a major one.
Annual salary cap increases are expected to hit 10%, with player contract raises capped at 8% off just the first-year salary. Even if the Knicks had decided to pay Quickley the $25 million per year he asked for, the deal would immediately be considered team friendly, and one of the best contractual assets on the roster.
Instead, the Knicks will enter July of next summer with zero control of the market, and will be forced to be reactive – instead of proactive – which was entirely avoidable.
Quickley, who is netting 16.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in just over 25 minutes, has the makings of a breakout star in his game. The 6’3 combo guard is comfortable navigating pick and rolls, just as he is leaning into a more scoring oriented role, and he’s a high-volume three-point shooter (8.3 attempts per 36 minutes) which we know by now will always be of int
Remember, the Knicks could have met Quickley’s asking price and still landed themselves in a tremendous financial situation in regards to his contract.)
New York seems dedicated to Jalen Brunson – as they should be – and that may be why they view Quickley as being less of a priority.
In the case of Brunson, that’s probably fair, but can the Knicks make a reasonable argument that any other player on the roster, not named Jalen Brunson, should be prioritized over Quickley?
Julius Randle remains one of the most inconsistent scorers in the NBA. RJ Barrett has yet to break out in the way the team has hoped, and after that there’s a significant gap in talent from Quickley to everyone else.
If nothing else, it could be argued that the Knicks should lean into a Brunson/Quickley backcourt, which would be offensively explosive.
The fact that Quickley come
