New York Knicks' Immanuel Quickley Perfect Fit For San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are in dire need of a point guard. This is no secret: the Point-Sochan experiment has not been working and fans have ridiculed Jeremy Sochan despite playing an entirely foreign position. There is growing concern that Victor Wembanyama’s development will be stunted by playing unconventional basketball in his early years, and the Spurs seem hard-set on having Tre Jones come off the bench.
Aside from Jones, Devonte' Graham is the only traditional point guard on the roster, and he has only appeared in three games this season.
Devonte' Graham has played for 36 total minutes this season.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The Spurs appear destined for another lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and will have their pick of prospects, Isaiah Collier and Nikola Topić being the most attractive. But the Spurs also have a lot of money to spend this summer, around $50 million, and could land a promising young player in free agency.
Immanuel Quickley is a 24-year-old point guard for the New York Knicks who sees 34 minutes per game off the bench. This season, he is averaging 15 points, 2.8 assists, and shoots 36 percent from deep, down from 37 percent last season. He will be a restricted free agent this summer, meaning the Knicks can match any offer he receives, but the two parties are far from agreeing on his value.
Quickley wants $100 million over four years, and New York is not prepared to match that. Heavy has reported that the Orlando Magic and Spurs are the favorites to land him this summer.
Orlando has point guard talent already in the forms of Markelle Fultz and Anthony Black. Fultz is a serviceable starter, criminally underrated, but has missed the last 16 games with injury. In his place, the rookie Black is averaging 5.1 points on a shockingly good Orlando team. To get Quickley, the Spurs may have to overpay, but they should be desperate for point guard talent.
Quickley is also on the trade market as the Knicks pursue a star to pair with Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson. The Spurs do not have a star to trade (Wembanyama is untouchable!) but could take salary in a three-team trade. An example of what that would look like is outlined below:
NYK receives DeMar DeRozan, SAS receives Evan Fournier and Immanuel Quickley, CHI receives Doug McDermott, Devontae’ Graham, 2024, 2026, and 2029 first-round picks via NYK.
That’s just an example, but the Spurs would surely have to take on Evan Fournier’s insane $18.8 million contract for the next two years. Or they could wait until the summer and try to outbid the Knicks, who seem to be pinching their pennies to pay for a star of their own.
Regardless of how the Spurs get Quickley, adding a 24-year-old point guard with a high ceiling to an offense that desperately needs a lead guard should be a high priority moving forward. Quickley can also play off-ball, so he and Jones could be the backcourt for the second unit if the Spurs draft a point guard with a top pick this summer. Regardless, backcourt talent is a must.
