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Before getting into the point of this piece, I have to offer a disclaimer that its premise — though somewhat born from rumors and personal observations — should be taken as mere speculation.
I’m not reporting that Immanuel Quickley will be traded or wants to be traded or is unhappy. I’m simply pointing out the reasons why he would be traded. Or should be traded. Or the reasons he might be frustrated.
And frankly, the seeds for this story were planted in July when the Knicks signed Donte DiVincenzo to a four-year, $50 million contract. Then the roots spread in October when Quickley and the Knicks failed to agree to a contract extension.
So where do we stand through one quarter of Quickley’s fourth season?
He’s playing well offensively — not quite as well defensively — but his minutes were down nearly five per game to 24.0 after he returned to the lineup in Wednesday’s loss to the Jazz and was limited to 18 minutes despite scoring 15 points.
It’s a similar problem for DiVincenzo and Quentin Grimes. Too many guards, not enough minutes.
I’m guessing Quickley views himself as worthy of playing more than half of the game.
Tom Thibodeau tried to manage the bubbling guard discontent by changing the rotation, specifically shifting Grimes to the second unit for more on-ball opportunities. It worked in Monday’s victory over the Raptors — with Grimes going off for 19 points in 27 minutes — but that was partly because Quickley sat due to knee soreness.
Let’s look at the situation from Quickley’s perspective, logically and hypothetically speaking:
He finished second in voting for Sixth Man of the Year last season, benefitting from a breakthrough campaign and hoping to ride that momentum into a lucrative contract.
Instead, negotiations hit an impasse. According to SNY, the sides couldn’t agree on the framework of a deal with the Knicks declining to guarantee the final year. (A source denied a separate report that Quickley’s side was asking for roughly $25 million per year while the Knicks were offering only about $18 million.)
Now Quickley technically is the seventh man. Josh Hart is often the first sub and averages more minutes. Quickley also saw his best friend on the team, Obi Toppin, get traded in the summer. And he watched Hart, a player with a lower ceiling, get a contract from the Knicks with an average annual salary of about $20 million.
Quickley also can see his good buddy and former college teammate, Tyrese Maxey, playing without restraint in Philadelphia. Maxey was freed from having James Harden as a teammate, and is averaging 26.1 points in 37.5 minutes.
Like Quickley, Maxey gambled on himself by not agreeing to an extension before the season. Unlike Quickley, Maxey’s 2024 free-agency payout is looking bigger.
Much bigger.
Max contract bigger.
You can imagine what Quickley thinks he would accomplish with a similar opportunity.
Which brings us to the Knicks’ perspective, logically and hypothetically speaking:
Quickley is more valuable to a team without Jalen Brunson or to a team without as many guards as the Knicks. He needs the ball to be effective.
The 24-year-old will hit free agency in July, and there probably will be somebody, somewhere, drawing up a robust offer sheet.
It only takes one team (ahem, Spurs).
The Knicks still can match any offer, but if they were unwilling to guarantee a final year in the previous negotiation, why would they raise the terms for their second player off the bench?
Put another way: Why risk losing Quickley for nothing if you can trade him at a high value while he’s still on his rookie deal?
To be clear, I would understand a decision to wait past the February trade deadline with Quickley.
The Knicks may not be viewed as title contenders, but there are good reasons to try to win with the roster. If they’re only offered rebuilding options in a Quickley swap, it doesn’t make sense. Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan also don’t make sense for the Knicks.
But they also shouldn’t waste an asset like they did with Toppin, who was gripped too tightly by the Knicks at last season’s trade deadline and traded for peanuts in the summer.
It’s here.
The absurdly daunting part of the schedule.
We’ve heard Thibodeau and some players nagging about the first month, which was heavy on back-to-backs. But those gripes look silly and privileged compared to what’s around the corner.
Starting Friday, the Knicks play 10 straight games against teams currently with winning records. Eight of the games are on the road. The Knicks probably will be underdogs in every single one. If they can go 3-7 — or even 2-8 — it would be an accomplishment.
Why? We’ll break down each matchup of a brimstone three weeks below:
Fri., Dec. 15 @ Suns
The Suns, a title contender, already beat the Knicks at MSG without Kevin Durant or Bradley Beal. Those two could play in the rematch.
Sat., Dec. 16 @ Clippers
The Clippers are playing a lot better than earlier in the season when they were trounced at MSG. Still, they’re beatable under normal circumstances. For this game, however, the Knicks will be flying in on the second night of a back-to-back while the Clippers will have had a day off in the middle of a homestand.
Mon., Dec. 18 @ Lakers
Not far removed from winning the In-Season Tournament, the Lakers have been better than expected because LeBron James clearly doesn’t abide by the science of aging. Plus, it’ll be a revenge game for Lakers forward Cam Reddish.
Wed., Dec. 20 @ Nets
Certainly a winnable game for the Knicks, though the Nets have been good at Barclays Center (where they’ve beaten the Knicks in eight of the past nine matchups). It’s the first of four head-to-heads this season between crosstown rivals.
Sat., Dec. 23 vs. Bucks
The Knicks return home after nearly two weeks of games on the road and have to face Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks already have defeated the Knicks twice this season — including an embarrassing blowout in the In-Season Tournament quarterfinals. The Knicks are 2-10 against the Bucks at MSG since the 2016-17 season.
Mon., Dec. 25 vs. Bucks
This has to be a mistake in the schedule, right? Two matinee games against the title contenders in three days, including one on Christmas? Yup, it’s true. And since this one is on ESPN, the NBA will make sure Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are available.
Wed., Dec. 27 @ Thunder
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is now a bona fide top-10 player, Chet Holmgren is unleashed and the Thunder are in an early position for a top-4 spot in the West. The days of beating on OKC are over.
Fri., Dec. 29 @ Magic
Looked like a victory when the schedule came out. But now the Magic are good … really good … especially at home with an 11-2 record. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner project to give the Knicks fits with their size on the wings.
Sat., Dec. 30 @ Pacers
A tough game for the Knicks made worse by having to fly from Florida for the second game of a back-to-back while the Pacers will be operating after a day off. Tyrese Haliburton has been great. And Toppin is predictably getting more opportunities than during his time in New York.
Mon., Jan. 1 vs. Timberwolves
The return home means a matchup against the Western Conference leaders. The Timberwolves already trounced the Knicks in Minnesota and have an opportunity for the season sweep. It’s an afternoon game and may come down to who partied less on New Year’s Eve.
Given what’s available, it made sense for the Knicks to sign Taj Gibson. Again.
He’s not the answer to two months without Mitchell Robinson, but he’ll give you production every now and then, plus serve as a steady locker-room presence to relay Thibodeau’s message of “sacrifice for the team.”
The Knicks may need more of that going forward with, as we noted, too many guards and not enough minutes.
Assuming he passes the physical, Gibson, who signed for the rest of the season, is expected to join the Knicks on their Western Conference road trip, which includes games at the Suns (Friday), Clippers (Saturday) and Lakers (Monday).
Because the signing wasn’t official Wednesday, Thibodeau and the players said they couldn’t discuss the return of the veteran.
But the coach — a well-documented fan of Gibson — offered a wink-and-smile response when asked about the power forward/center.
“I think his career really speaks for itself. He’s had an incredible career,” Thibodeau said Wednesday. “Great pro, great leader, great teammate, so he’ll be a fine addition to any team.”
The Knicks showed us the potential pitfalls of life without Robinson, one of the league’s top rebounders, in Wednesday’s loss. They gave up 15 offensive boards to the Jazz, which Thibodeau repeated as their biggest problem in his post-game interview.
“Finishing the rebounding was a problem,” Thibodeau said, “When you’re giving them a second and third crack at it – had we rebounded, we probably would’ve won the game. We got to learn from it.”
To be clear, Gibson isn’t going to fix that issue.
The Knicks are starting a much more athletic center in Jericho Sims, who simply has to calm down, anticipate better and use his strength to keep his man off the glass. Same with Isaiah Hartenstein. They’re the solutions until Robinson returns.
Gibson will be used in a pinch.