ESPN’s front office insider Bobby Marks weighed in on what the New York Knicks package could look like in a potential James Harden blockbuster trade after his colleague Adrian Wojnarowski named them a potential suitor along with the Los Angeles Clippers.
“I was brainstorming what would look good for New York, and I had a hard time. It might cost them a little bit. I don’t think [the] Knicks fans are going to be happy for what I’m going to [suggest] right now,” Marks said on ESPN Sportscenter.
Bobby Marks’s Trade Proposal:
New York receives: James Harden
Philadelphia receives: Immanuel Quickley, Isaiah Hartenstein, Evan Fournier, 2024 1st round pick via Detroit (top-18 protected)
The Knicks will potentially have a one-year rental of James Harden, who is not extension-eligible after he opted into his $35.6 million player option. His fit with Jalen Brunson at the Knicks’ backcourt will be fascinating to watch, although the former has played off the ball for much of his time with Luka Doncic in Dallas.
According to Marks, the risk here for the Knicks is Quickley, who has shown flashes of star potential after finishing second in the Sixth Man of the Year race last season. But this trade will also take the burden away from the Knicks to pay Quickley a lucrative extension.
While this hypothetical Knicks package is not the deal that could give the 76ers a win-now star to fill Harden’s vacuum, Wojnarowski reported on Get Up on June 30 that the 76ers president Daryl Morey could explore a multi-team deal.
“There’s no urgency or it’s gonna be done by any particular date. So certainly, if you know how [76ers president] Daryl Morey typically works in the marketplace. He’s going to exhaust all possibilities of not just straight-on deals but three-team deals, four-team deals, and he may let free agency settles — see where players land, where needs arise for different teams who might not be interested today but could be in the few days,” Wojnarowski said.
Immanuel Quickley Involved in Failed Trade Talks
Fred Katz of The Athletic reported on June 29 that Immanuel Quickley’s name was mentioned in a failed trade talk that would have landed the Knicks “a very good player in his prime.”
“The Knicks are not trying to move Quickley, but they also don’t seem to be against it if they uncover the proper trade. I have heard of at least one situation where they spoke to another team about flipping Quickley for a very good player in his prime. Talks didn’t go far, and it did not seem equivalent to what was going on this past autumn when the Knicks had legitimate discussions with various teams about dealing Quickley for a first-round pick or something like it, league sources told The Athletic at the time,” Katz wrote.
9-Figure Extension for Immanuel Quickley?
Heavy Sports’ NBA insider Sean Deveney reported on June 27 that one general manager expects Quickley to seek a lucrative extension that could price him out of New York.
“Don’t expect Quickley to look for a hometown discount. “He is going to want nine figures,” the league exec told Deveney. “And that’s for four years. I can’t say the Knicks will go that high, but they might have to. He is not a guy you want to send to restricted free agency.”
Quickley’s value took off when he averaged 21.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists, shooting 40.1% from the 3-point line after the All-Star break.
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Proposed Trade Lands Knicks James Harden