There were a lot of people surprised when the New York Knicks and guard Immanuel Quickley didn’t come to a rookie-scale extension agreement ahead of the NBA’s regular season eve deadline. Reports throughout the offseason indicated that both sides wanted to get a deal done, but nothing was able to come to fruition.
While many people will see this as a failure by Leon Rose and the front office, for the Knicks, no extension does actually make sense. While there are certainly risks involved, as restricted free agency can get whacky, this move is best for New York long-term.
If they want to make a blockbuster trade during the NBA regular season, Quickley can now be used as a sweetener in those deals. In the final year of his rookie contract, Quickley can be used as a regular salary-matching piece in trade negotiations.
Had he signed an extension, it would have included a poison-pill provision, making it virtually impossible for him to be traded as the money matters would have been complicated. Not that the Knicks want to trade him, but having that option to include him in deals creates more flexibility for the front office to work with.
If Quickley isn’t involved in a trade during the regular season, a sign-and-trade remains a possibility in free agency. Also, the Knicks retain the right to match any offer sheet he signs with another team should a long-term deal not be worked out by the two sides.
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Rose has preached flexibility and maneuverability with the roster alignment and salary cap since taking over the front office. The decision to not extend Quickley fits right into that, as no deal doesn’t guarantee he will be on the move.
However, if you polled people around the NBA today, many would likely select Quickley as the most likely restricted free agent to be changing teams. From his perspective, unless the Knicks paid him a max contract, which wasn’t going to happen, testing the market makes the most sense.
His representatives made it clear that no hometown discount would be given to the team in negotiations. The posts his agents made on social media pretty much cemented that. From a personal standpoint, Quickley would probably prefer to hit the market as bigger opportunities could await him.
Had he signed a long-term deal ahead of the October 23rd deadline, Quickley would have essentially locked himself into a role as Jalen Brunson’s backup. If he views himself as more than a sixth man, not signing a deal is the best opportunity he will have to land a role as a starter.
Quickly has showcased that he is as capable of putting up big numbers in the starting lineup as he is coming off the bench. But as long as Tom Thibodeau is the head coach and the roster doesn’t seem major changes on the perimeter, a starting spot would be hard to come by for Quickley.
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Disappointment is likely a feeling many Knicks supporters have knowing Quickley is ticketed for restricted free agency in 2024. Most remember how things played out with Jeremy Lin following Linsanity in New York, as he signed an offer sheet with the Houston Rockets as a restricted free agent and the Knicks didn’t match.
Instead, they acquired Raymond Felton in a trade and signed Jason Kidd in free agency. While that following season featured plenty of success for New York, it was short-lived. Repeating that is something Knicks fans don’t want to do, but this situation is much different from 2012.
The Knicks now have a foundation in place they want to build upon. Not signing an extension with Quickley provides them numerous routes to take to do so, while he can also maximize his position in free agency.
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