Knicks Trading Barrett, Quickley Continues Troubling New York Sports Trend

Time will tell if the New York Knicks' trade of RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley comes back to bite them.

The NBA landscape was left stunned on Saturday afternoon when the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors agreed on a trade that sent OG Anunoby (as well as reserves Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn) to Manhattan in exchange for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and a second-round pick.

On paper, the move should help the Knicks (17-14) with several of their issues faced throughout the early stages of the 2023-24 season, particularly those that surfaced with Mitchell Robinson's potentially season-ending injury. Anunoby is a better defender than Barrett and is a more consistent deep-range shooter. His Toronto numbers may not have jumped off the statsheet but he's the kind of player that could be instrumental in a deep playoff run. 

Wendell Cruz, USA TODAY SPORTS

But For Barrett and Quickley? 

Modern sports fans and organizations have issues with not being patient with young players in the hopes of immediate results. If a young player isn't producing at a high level right away, there are going to be some in the organization and fanbase that would prefer they be moved, especially with any sign of lingering potential.

It happens in every sport, but it's become particularly prevalent in New York. 

Geno Smith got just two years with the New York Jets before they benched him and shipped him off to be a backup before the Seattle Seahawks offered him a life preserve. Some have called the New York Rangers, the Knicks' icy Madison Square Garden co-tenants, to trade Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko despite neither reaching 23. In baseball, there are some Mets fans ready to give up on top prospects like Brett Baty and Francisco Alvarez after not even a full season as a starter. 

Having dealt their primary homegrown youth, the clock is officially ticking on the Knicks.

Barrett (23) and Quickley (24) are two players who have been shown to have talent in their years in New York. The former, for example, became the youngest Knicks to average 20 points in a single season during the 2021-22 campaign. The idea of five years being enough to evaluate whether you have a good player or not should be solid, but that isn't always the case when that player, especially an early draft entrant like Barrett, is still under 25. 

For Quickley, his four years in the league have shown he can be a lethal scorer and extremely efficient guard. While there were concerns about whether the Knicks would have been able to keep him during the offseason (Quickley is a restricted free agent in 2024 after not inking a long-term deal over the summer), his youth made him such an intriguing project on the New York roster. 

Basketball is a sport that is always tricky to judge young talent. Barrett and Quickley have shown they can have a role in this league as solid scorers. Their ceiling, however, is difficult to determine, especially considering that the 27-year-old Anunoby has established himself as a versatile player who is a better all-around defender. 

There's a reason why the Knicks made the move they did. That being said, getting rid of two players who have yet to turn 25, especially when one was a third overall pick, is always a difficult thing for a fanbase to stomach.

BREAKING: Knicks Finalizing Trade For OG Anunoby; Barrett, Quickley Bound For Toronto

New York's core has been to the playoffs in two of its last three seasons and won a playoff series for the first time in close to a decade. Now, it seems like the franchise has decided to make a seismic shift regarding that core in the hopes they can land a star in the coming months. 

Whether they do or not will determine the future of this era of Knicks basketball. But developing young players should be the calling card for every front office. It's how they keep fans engaged with their favorite players and grow a cohesive unit. 

Giving up on two players who haven't reached the prime of their years yet isn't something that makes a lot of sense ... at least not yet.