Getty Immanuel Quickley of the New York Knicks drives against the Golden State Warriors.
According to recent reports, the New York Knicks are looking to make some shakeups to their rotation and perhaps the most noteworthy chatter of late has been the buzz that Leon Rose and company are open to trading third-year guard Immanuel Quickley.
Per a November 18 report by The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the team’s front office is “willing” to move both Quickley and veteran guard Derrick Rose via trade this season to better consolidate the team’s guard rotation.
“The Knicks have shown a willingness to discuss Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley in trade talks, league sources say, as a way to sort out the team’s glut at the guard position over the course of the season,” Charania wrote.
The idea of seeing either one of the fan-favorite point guards offloaded is widely viewed as an upsetting hypothetical scenario for the Knicks’ faithful followers, though, should the price be right, such a move could ultimately prove to be worth it in the end for the franchise.
Though it’s hard to predict what a trade package could wind up looking like should a deal be made, when it comes to the potential return value of Quickley, one NBA executive told Heavy Sports’ NBA Insider Sean Deveney that it may not be as lucrative as many may hope.
“The Knicks are still trying to stockpile picks. That is what it is all about for them,” the exec told Deveney. “They are approaching things like there will be a star who they can get—Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Davis, (Kevin) Durant, Karl-Anthony Towns, someone—a star who comes on the market soon.
“They want picks. If they can get two first-rounders for Quickley, they would but that is too high a price. Maybe a young guy or a prospect playing in Europe, someone like that, and a first-rounder, a protected first-rounder, that is probably where the market ends up on him.”
Since being selected by the Knicks in the late first round of the 2020 NBA Draft Quickley has managed to establish himself as one of the team’s most highly regarded young prospects.
During his tenure in the association, the guard has found himself serving as a change-of-pace reserve within Tom Thibodeau’s rotation and has seen career averages of 11.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and just under a steal per game on 35.9% shooting from deep in 21.5 minutes a night.
Teams Have Contacted Knicks
Charania’s report is certainly not the first time we’ve seen Immanuel Quickley’s name attached to the trade-rumor mill this season, as SNY’s NBA Insider Ian Begley reported on November 12 that the Knicks have already received calls regarding his availability.
“The Knicks have gotten calls from teams about trades involving guard Immanuel Quickley, per SNY sources,” Begley wrote. “It’s a bit early in the season; teams don’t typically discuss trades in earnest until Dec. 15, when most veteran free agents can be moved.
“But several teams have talked to the Knicks about a potential trade of Quickley.”
This season Quickley has found himself serving as the primary backup to lead guard Jalen Brunson and has posted solid averages of 18.5 points, 10.4 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 2.9 steals per 100 possessions thus far into 2022-23.
Quickley Responds to Trade Buzz
The trade rumors swirling around ultimately made their way back to Immanuel Quickley, as New York Post sports reporter Zach Braziller tweeted on November 18 that he had spoken with the Knicks guard on the matter.
In his response, the 23-year-old seemed to be relatively unfazed by the surfaced reports.
“Honestly, I don’t really get into that kind of stuff,” Quickley told Braziller, via Twitter. “I’m just focused on the road trip, taking it one day at a time. That stuff works itself out just like the basketball works itself out.”
This past summer, Quickley became quite familiar with hearing his name mentioned in reports of trade negotiations, as he was often listed in reported trade offers in the team’s failed pursuits of All-Star Donovan Mitchell, which very well could be why he appears cool, calm, and collected with his reaction to the news.