The New York Knicks had until 6:00 PM ET on Monday to work out an extension with young guard Immanuel Quickley.
As other members of the 2020 NBA Draft class received extensions, the Knicks were unable to agree to a long-term deal with the 24-year-old former first-round pick out of Kentucky.
This means that Quickley will become a restricted free agent during the summer of 2024. NBA rules prohibit extensions for draft picks of his ilk after the aforementioned Oct. 23 deadline.
This is no small thing for the Knicks as they attempted throughout the entire offseason to get a long-term contract done with Quickley. Apparently, the two sides couldn’t find a happy medium in discussions.
“I think the thing that I like about Quick is he’s had the same chip [on his shoulder] since we’ve had him. He had the chip at Kentucky. When you study his makeup, that’s who he is,” New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said this past weekend. “He knows he’s a good player. He’s a gym rat. Works on the game. Can really think on his feet. He has all the characteristics that you look for in a player.”
The expectation was that Quickley’s market was somewhere between $80-$85 million over four years. Instead, he’ll enter the final year of his rookie deal earning a base of $4.17 million. Spotrac projects that his qualifying offer in restricted free agency next summer will come in at a bit north of $6 million.
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Immanuel Quickley stats (2022-23): 14.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.4 APG, 45% shooting, 37% 3-point
Quickley has improved each season he’s been with the Knicks. That included being a finalist for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award in 2022-23.
Most figured that New York’s brass would value the combo guard as a core fixture moving forward to go with Jalen Brunson and R.J. Barrett. While that might still be the case, being unable to extend him ahead of Monday evening’s deadline is no small thing.