NBA Exec Calls For Knicks to Trade Immanuel Quickley For 'Monster Defender'

Immanuel Quickley has been one of the New York Knicks' most consistent contributors but his desired salary could force them to seek out a trade.

The future of the New York Knicks' sixth man could soon become their No. 1 priority. 

Quickley is set to play his second consecutive season on a club-exercised option before becoming a restricted free agent next summer. The 2020 first-round pick out of Kentucky put up his best numbers yet (including 14.9 points and 4.2 rebounds) after opening the year on a slow note, recovering well enough to finish in the runner-up spot in Sixth Man of the Year voting behind Boston's Malcolm Brogdon. 

But Quickley, seeing his apparent worth, is reportedly seeking nine figures when he hits the market come 2024. With the Knicks said to be searching for a star, a missing piece that would truly thrust them onto the shortlist of Eastern Conference contenders, they could deal off Quickley for assets that get them closer to a goal of inclusion amongst the elite. 

One anonymous NBA executive believes that dishing Quickley to a division rival could unclog several potential logjams within the Atlantic.

“The Raptors would be a really good fit for (Quickley),” the exec told Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. “The Knicks would be a really good fit for (OG) Anunoby. He’s just a monster defender. Things have been pretty quiet in Toronto but there is still a feeling that they’re going to make another move here after what happened with Fred (VanVleet). Maybe they will stick with what they have but that roster is missing a lot.

Anunoby is no stranger to Knicks gossip as the team reportedly sought his services at the last trade deadline. While he probably wouldn't be the ultimate difference in placing the Knicks among Boston, Miami, and Milwaukee in the East's top spots, his defense would no doubt at least partly fortify New York's dreams of contention. 

Having lost the aforementioned VanVleet to Houston, the Raptors linger in a state of hardwood purgatory. They've almost completely torn the championship group from 2019, that renovation taking a major step forward with the departure of head coach Nick Nurse for Darko Rajaković after their first-round exit in the East's most recent Play-In Tournament. VanVleet's departure currently situates Dennis Schröder as the top backcourt option.

The exec says that Quickley moving north would help the Raptors avoid a full-on rebuild and ease some of the relative growing pains.

"(Quickley) is not a great passer, he is not going to be a superb playmaker, but he is good and he’s a good rebounder,” the executive said. “He can play with speed, he is fast and he forces the rest of the team to play fast. That’s such an advantage when it is your guy pushing the action. And he shot the ball consistently all last season. That’s probably the biggest question on him, the shooting, but he is answering that.”

New York appears to be progressing forward with Quickley on its roster, but avoiding the payment question while landing a strong defender would certainly be one way to press forward into the future. 

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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