New York Knicks fans were devastated when it was announced that their team had made a blockbuster trade right before the New Year. The NBA is a business, but that doesn’t make it feel any better when your team trades away two of its homegrown players in a deal.
That is the emotion that Knicks fans were going through when it became official that they had traded Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett to the Toronto Raptors. Two of the young players integral in helping turn the franchise around in the last few seasons were now gone, ready for the next chapter of their NBA careers.
If you love something set it free is an applicable quote for this situation. The Knicks and their fans loved what Quickley and Barrett brought to the team during their tenures. However, for them to blossom into the players they are capable of, they needed to be set free from New York.
NBA NEWS, TRADE RUMORS: Immanuel Quickley, Tom Thibodeau, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors Updates
Quickley was not going to become the starting point guard we know he is capable of with Jalen Brunson locked into that role. Barrett wasn’t going to be more than the 3-and-D wing as the No. 3 option behind Julius Randle and Brunson. Both players can now grow into bigger roles in Toronto, where a youth movement ins occurring.
The admiration and love the fans have for both players is mutual. Quickley let it be known as he wrote a heartfelt piece for The Player’s Tribune. He shared several memories that he will cherish forever from his time with the Knicks and how grateful he was for the opportunity.
One of the people that he gave a shoutout to in the piece was head coach Tom Thibodeau. While Quickley wasn’t a starter as many thought he should be, he was still appreciative of everything Thibodeau did for him as his first head coach in the NBA.
“Thibs, thank you for trusting me in big moments. You treated me with nothing but respect and love, through the ups and downs.” Quickley wrote in his letter after being traded to Toronto.
Quickley spoke about how humbling the experience was right away. He was a highly touted recruit heading to Kentucky and reached highs there most people can only dream of, winning SEC Player of the Year.
NBA NEWS, TRADE RUMORS: Immanuel Quickley, Tom Thibodeau, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors Updates
Despite those accolades, he was starting from the bottom with the Knicks. During his first practice, he received a green jersey, one of the colors, along with black, that go to players at the end of the bench who aren’t going to be playing much.
That motivated him to work hard and eventually earn one of the white or blue jerseys, designated for starters and the first guys off the bench. Eventually, his performance earned one of those jerseys from Thibodeau, who relied on Quickley as an integral part of the team’s rotation.
Quickley went from an end-of-bench afterthought early on to Sixth Man of the Year runner-up last season. Now, he is embarking on a new journey as the starting point guard for the Raptors, one that he is thankful for Thibodeau and the Knicks preparing him for.
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