Immanuel Quickley plans to play basketball and leave the contract stuff to his agent
Immanuel Quickley at Knicks Media Day on Monday. Credit: Errol Anderson
GREENBURGH — Immanuel Quickley arrived at training camp with the tricky situation of hoping for a contract extension in the next three weeks before he must head into the season with restricted free agency awaiting him next summer.
If you are looking for a hint at whether Quickley might take the path of James Harden and not show up for media day or try to demand a trade, he made his intentions clear as he barreled into the room.
“Let’s go!” he shouted. “Always good to be back in the building.”
Asked plainly if he will play during this camp while his contract situation is waiting to be resolved, he said, “I’m playing.”
Perhaps it’s not shocking for the energetic Quickley, who finished second in the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year balloting last season, but it remains an issue for the team to resolve — or not.
His agents can point to the four-year, $128 million extension that Jordan Poole got from Golden State or the four years for $123 million that Tyler Herro received from Miami. But a more realistic number might be a four-year deal in the range of $72 million to $80 million, and even that prompts a choice for the Knicks’ front office. Just how much do they want to commit to a bench piece?
“Honestly, I just do what I’ve been doing, what I normally do, which is working hard every single day to get better,” Quickley said. “I let my agent pretty much handle all that stuff. But I’ve just been locked in on trying to get better, see what I can focus on to get better for the year. Helping myself, and helping my team to win games.
“Whatever happens happens because it’s all up to my agent and the Knicks at that point. Like I said, I’m just worried about trying to get better each and every day, trying to reach my full potential and see how good I can get at this game.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
