4: Immanuel Quickley
Immanuel Quickley and Tyrese Maxey on the same team? If the Sixers grant James Harden’s request for a trade, that will give Maxey the green light to solidify himself as the second-best player in Philadelphia. The Sixers would be better off proceeding with Maxey and moving on from Harden.
In that case, if Embiid were made available, Philadelphia could reunite the former Kentucky duo on the Sixers. IQ and Maxey were selected in the 2021 NBA Draft, with Maxey going No. 21 and Quickley going No. 25.
Quickley is reportedly hoping to get a contract extension that’s nine figures, and according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, “the Knicks would consider an extension for Quickley around $20 million per year.” Scotto wrote that if IQ were to “play himself into a higher average annual salary, the Knicks may consider trading him as part of a package to acquire a star player.”
New York fans have been adamant about wanting to see IQ sign an extension, but even if he does, that won’t prevent the Knicks from including him in a trade package sometime in the future.