Knicks Rumors: Immanuel Quickley Contract Not Reached Before Deadline; PG Will Be RFA
Immanuel Quickley has established himself as a critical part of the New York Knicks' backcourt, but his long-term future with the team is now in doubt.
Fred Katz of The Athletic reported the Knicks did not sign him to a contract extension ahead of Monday's 6 p.m. ET deadline, meaning he will become a restricted free agent following the upcoming campaign.
The guard's long-term status with the team has been under something of a spotlight since after the 2022-23 campaign, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News noted he was eligible for a contract extension.
Bondy suggested "experts" expected a new extension to come in around four years and $80 million.
So much for that.
Quickley entered the league as a first-round pick out of Kentucky in 2020 and wasted little time flashing his potential as an All-Rookie Second-Team selection. He then remained an important secondary contributor in his second season, but efficiency was still a concern during a second straight year with a field-goal percentage of below 40 percent.
Fortunately for the guard and the Knicks, he alleviated plenty of those worries in 2022-23.
The Kentucky product averaged 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 37 percent from deep. He anchored New York's bench and finished second in voting for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award behind only Boston Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon.
Quickley provided a spark with his athleticism and speed, showed the shooting ability to take advantage of the spacing created by the defensive attention Julius Randle and RJ Barrett drew, and bothered opposing ball-handlers on the defensive side throughout his breakout campaign.
He was a major reason the Knicks earned the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, although he struggled in the playoffs and averaged 9.0 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game while shooting 34.8 percent from the field and 24.3 percent from deep before missing the final three games of the second-round loss to the Miami Heat with an ankle injury.
Improving on his postseason performance is the next step for the guard, who will be 24 years old throughout all of the 2023-24 season.
Quickley may be in line for an even bigger contract in the coming years if he does take that next step, which could leave the Knicks regretting their inaction ahead of Monday's deadline.
At least they can take solace knowing he will still be a member of the team for at least the upcoming season.
