Getty Immanuel Quickley #5 of the New York Knicks battles Payton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics for the loose ball.
Immanuel Quickley addressed the elephant in the room in his first interview since failing to agree to a rookie extension contract with the New York Knicks.
“Extension talks are over. I’m just focused on the season,” Quickley said via SNY. “Our team is going to have a great year and I feel like I’m going to have a great year.”
Quickley was one of the five prominent players from the 2020 rookie draft class, including his best buddy and former Knicks lottery pick Obi Toppin, who will enter restricted free agency next season.
After watching Jaden McDaniels ($136 million) and Devin Vassell ($135 million) sign lucrative rookie extensions this summer, Quickley was hopeful for a windfall.
Immanuel Quickley repost on IG:
Those contracts were bigger than anybody on the Knicks roster.
It turned out the Knicks were not ready to give their top reserve a starter’s money.
So Quickley will play for his big payday this season. The goal is to surpass his Sixth Man of the Year runner-up run last season to prove his worth.
“I’m always about setting goals and being better today than I was yesterday,” Quickley said via SNY. “So contract, no contract, I’m here for the season. I’m here for the team to try to be the best version that I can each and every day. To try to dominate. That’s why I’m here.”
The Knicks will have the right to match what Quickley can get in next year’s free agency.
Scott Perry Moves to ESPN
Scott Perry landed a studio analyst gig with ESPN shortly after the Knicks did not renew his contract.
The former Knicks general manager is joining Bob Myers as ex-front executives at ESPN, who will provide a fresh perspective on the ins and outs of the NBA.
“What you have is you have someone who has that basketball acumen based on being right there, right on the scene in a more current way, and that’s going to be to the advantage of the fans watching the sport,” David Robert, ESPN’s head of event and studio production, said in a conference call on Monday.
Perry will appear on NBA Today, SportsCenter and other ESPN studio shows throughout the season.
Knicks Willing to Offer Rich Package for Joel Embiid
The Knicks are all-in on Joel Embiid if he becomes available.
They are willing to offer a combination of three of Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson or Evan Fournier, plus two to three first-round picks, according to a Philadelphia Inquirer report on Tuesday.
Embiid is now the clear-cut No. 1 priority for the Knicks after two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo agreed to a $183 million, three-year extension with the Milwaukee Bucks.
However, there is no indication that Embiid is available. If and when Embiid becomes available, Pompey noted that “the Sixers should be able to get better offers for Embiid. And it wouldn’t make sense to trade him to an Atlantic Division rival.”
Embiid, though, has a close relationship with Knicks president Leon Rose, who used to be his agent. Rose was among the few select guests at Embiid’s wedding this past summer.
“There is scuttlebutt in some corners of the league that Embiid wants to go to New York,” NBA insider Chris Broussard said on FS1’s “First Things First” on October 19.