Immanuel Quickley was in the midst of a career season with the New York Knicks before the franchise traded him in a shocking move that left him flummoxed.
Quickley was sent to the Toronto Raptors along with RJ Barrett and a 2024 second-round pick in exchange for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn.
Quickley Lightheartedly Shows His Shock After Being Traded From the Knicks
Shortly after the trade, Quickley took to Twitter to share his thoughts on his change of locale:
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau had cut Quickley’s minutes short from nearly 29 MPG in 2022-23 to 24 minutes this season.
Despite reduced playing time, Quickley saw a slight uptick in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game. He was currently in the midst of a four-game streak with at least 20 points.
Last year’s Sixth Man of the Year candidate spoke about remaining professional and staying ready as he dealt with the cutback in minutes, but will now take that level of patience to the Raptors, where he’s anticipating a larger role in their offense.
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An Empty Guard Depth Chart Will Enable Quickley to Earn More Minutes in Toronto
While the timing of the trade took the NBA world by a bit of a surprise, a combination of a failed contract extension in tandem with losing favor to Donte DiVincenzo down the stretch of games made a move sensible. Plus, the Knicks have been active in the trade market, pursuing top talent.
Quickley will look to contend once more for the Sixth Man award this year on a Raptors team without a backup point guard and only one reserve shooting guard in Gary Trent Jr.