Knicks Trade Rumors: Immanuel Quickley Subject of Calls From Multiple Teams

The New York Knicks have reportedly received calls from "several teams" asking about the trade availability of third-year guard Immanuel Quickley.

SNY's Ian Begley reported Saturday the Knicks may be hesitant to move Quickley but noted rival NBA front offices believe New York will "consider trading off at least one of the young players on their roster as the deadline approaches" in February.

Quickley is an interesting case because his offensive efficiency is a major source of concern—39.1 career field-goal percentage, including 34.8 percent in 12 games this season—but he's able to offset those struggles on defense.

The 23-year-old University of Kentucky product ranks third in the NBA in FiveThirtyEight's defensive Raptor (plus-5.9), which is tied with Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, the league's two-time defending Most Valuable Player.

In October, the combo guard discussed his efforts to become a more well-rounded player with teams taking additional steps to lock him down as a scoring threat.

"I think I learned a lot about that when I was in college at Kentucky," Quickley told reporters. "Especially playing with other great players. Especially in my school. Every night is not always your night to score. But you can still have a positive impact on the game. That's something I learned in college early on. And some nights it is my night to score. And when it is, I'll take full advantage of that."

In all, the Maryland native has averaged 11.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 threes across 154 appearances since the Knicks selected him in the first round of the 2020 draft.

While he'd probably possess solid trade value, moving him wouldn't make a ton of sense for the Knicks unless it's an offer they simply can't refuse.

He's under contract through next season as part of a team-friendly four-year, $10.8 million rookie deal, and he'll be a restricted free agent in 2024, giving the front office a chance to match any offer that comes his way.

Quickley still has the potential to become a high-impact player if he can become a little more efficient on offense, so the Knicks' best option is seeing how his development continues over the next 18 months.

It sounds like other teams are ready to pounce if New York opts to put him on the trade block, though.