It’s too early to panic about Knicks-Immanuel Quickley extension talks
New York Knicks fans saw Josh Hart sign an extension in early August as soon as he became eligible, and now, they’re waiting to see Immanuel Quickley sign one before the deadline. The 24-year-old has been extension eligible, but there hasn’t been any traction on extension talks.
Quickley averaged 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.0 steals per game in his third season, shooting 44.8% from the floor. After the All-Star break, he rose up the rankings as a favorite to win Sixth Man of the Year and finished as runner-up behind Malcolm Brogdon.
A league executive told Heavy Sports that Quickley will “want nine figures.” HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported New York would “consider” an extension of around $20 million per year.
In Ian Begley’s SNY mailbag on Sept. 8, he guessed extension talks will heat up later this month as training camp draws nearer. Begley also added an important note about how members of the organization felt about a Quickley extension last season:
"Something worth noting: In the middle of the 2022-23 season, some members of the organization felt strongly that the Knicks would end up extending Quickley, per SNY sources."
Will the Knicks sign Immanuel Quickley to an extension before 2023-24 season?
Heavy’s Sean Deveney reported on Sept. 9 that a source said there has been “base-touching” between Immanuel Quickley’s camp and the Knicks, but “no serious talks as of yet.” Deveney added there’s been “some pessimism” about an extension getting done, which has led to some New York fans panicking about IQ’s future.
If Quickley doesn’t sign an extension before the season starts, he’ll be a restricted free agent next summer.
If the Knicks trade for a star between now and next offseason, Quickley could be included in the trade package. His value shot up this past season, and he deserves to sign a sizable extension, but if New York isn’t willing to pay IQ a considerable amount of money, opposing teams will be chomping at the bit to trade for him.
The bottom line is that it’s still only mid-September, and it isn’t unusual that Quickley’s camp and the Knicks haven’t engaged in serious extension talks. This part of the offseason isn’t typically where new contracts with players like Quickley are worked out.
If you’re a Knicks fan worried about the possibility of 2023-24 being IQ’s last in New York, that’s a reasonable concern, but there’s still plenty of time for the guard to sign an extension.