Bobby Marks gives both sides to Knicks-Immanuel Quickley extension debate
If the clock strikes midnight to bring in Tuesday, Oct. 24, without the New York Knicks signing Immanuel Quickley to an extension, he’ll enter restricted free agency next summer.
New York Daily News’ Kristian Winfield wrote that if that happens, teams like Orlando, San Antonio, Detroit, and Utah could be willing to make an offer too large (subscription required) for New York to match.
Quickley stated several times throughout the preseason that he isn’t worried about the extension; instead, he’s letting his agent handle that. He’s focused on continuing to improve and finding ways to get better.
He might not be worried, but fans are. In his third season in the league, Quickley averaged 14.9 points and 3.4 assists per game, shooting 44.8% from the field. He averaged 22.6 points and 5.1 assists per game as a starter, giving the Knicks more reason to sign him to an extension.
ESPN’s cap guru Bobby Marks wrote about the players eligible to sign an extension (subscription required) before Oct. 24 and made cases about why it may/may not happen.
Will Immanuel Quickley sign Knicks extension by Oct. 23 deadline?
In Marks’ case as to why New York could extend Immanuel Quickley, his main argument stemmed from:
"Extending Quickley prior to Oct. 23 also gives New York trade options next offseason. If they take a conservative approach, not only could the cost of Quickley’s next contract increase but trading him as a free agent becomes more difficult (he would have to agree on a sign-and-trade)."
Quickley’s worth way more money now than he was last summer, and if that trend continues, he’ll be worth more next summer than he is now. If the Knicks don’t re-sign him, it would lower their chances of getting a worthy return for him in a sign-and-trade next summer if he does go elsewhere.
Remember last offseason when the RJ Barrett extension didn’t mean the Knicks couldn’t include him in a trade for Donovan Mitchell, although it would’ve been more difficult due to Barrett’s poison pill restriction? As Marks noted, the case would be the same for Quickley if he signed an extension.
IQ’s poison pill restriction would go through June 30, meaning that if a superstar became available before the February deadline, including Quickley in the package would be much more difficult.
That was Marks’ main argument as to why New York may not extend him, along with the fact that the Knicks would be paying starter money to a non-starter. As long as Jalen Brunson is healthy, he’ll be the team’s starting point guard, not Quickley.
SNY’s Ian Begley reported on Wednesday that he knows the two sides have been in contact about an extension and that he believes that a deal will be worked out by the deadline.
Knicks fans are waiting anxiously for the notification to pop up on their phones that the young guard and the Knicks have agreed to an extension. A deal may not be worked out until the final hours, and if nothing happens, it won’t mean that the 2023-24 season will be Immanuel Quickley’s last in New York.