October 23’s contract extension deadline saw a slew of eligible players landing lucrative new deals with their respective clubs. Unfortunately, New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley was not one of them.
Per SNY’s Ian Begley, it is “unclear” where negotiations stalled when it came to contract talks, though it is being reported that, had a deal been agreed upon, it would have had a “poison pill” provision, which is a type of pay structure that backloads a substantial amount of money closer to a deal’s expiration (think Jeremy Lin’s contract with the Houston Rockets back in 2012).
With this turn of events, Quickley now enters the final year of his rookie scale pact with the Knicks and, as a result, is slated to enter restricted free agency next June.
Because of this, Begley is now under the impression that the combo guard will likely be elsewhere come the start of next season and, because of this, is hinting that Leon Rose and company may want to consider trading him before February’s deadline rather than run the risk of losing him for nothing come the offseason.
Though seeing the sixth man extraordinaire offloaded is likely far from an ideal scenario in the eyes of Knicks fans, if he were to be shopped, there are a few teams that could wind up inquiring about his services.
Potential trade destinations for Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley
3. Minnesota Timberwolves
Recently, rumors have started to surface suggesting the Knicks are currently “monitoring” the situation between Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves following yet another underwhelming overall campaign.
Though there seems to be no indication that New York is currently gearing up to make an offer any time soon, should they pursue the star big, it goes without question that their outgoing package would have to be quite substantial both from a financial (have to try and match KAT’s $36 million salary) and value standpoint.
Quickley may not fit into the former, especially now that he failed to reach an agreement on an extension, but he certainly would fall into this latter category and, thus, would likely be included in any future transaction involving Towns.
Along with RJ Barrett and Quentin Grimes, IQ is viewed as one of the team’s best young assets and, when considering his individual accomplishments that are headlined by a second-place finish in the NBA’s latest Sixth Man of the Year race and his still rather affordable contract, there’s an argument to be made that he is the most valuable player on the team under the age of 25.
Such a commodity would undoubtedly have to be included in almost any blockbuster deal for the Timberwolves stud.