"I Love New York!": Knicks' Immanuel Quickley Ignores Trade Rumors
Getting involved in a trade might be a literal low-IQ move for the New York Knicks.
Though the NBA's trade deadline is two months away, transfer candidates are emerging for a Knicks group trying to win now with a group of developing veterans getting used to larger responsibilities. It's increasingly clear that Evan Fournier, Cam Reddish, and Derrick Rose no longer have a role in New York after falling out of head coach Tom Thibodeau's nine-man rotation but Immanuel Quickley has been a roster staple: he's one of five Knicks to play all 26 games this season, all of them in a reserve setting.
That's what made Quickley's inclusion on the shortlist of trade candidates all the more surprising, perhaps even heartbreaking, to Knicks fans who have taken a liking to the Kentucky alum since his arrival as the 25th overall pick of the 2020 draft.
Quickley responded to those rumors shortly before the Knicks (13-13) got back to .500 and earned an elusive third consecutive victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, making his thoughts on the matter quite clear.
"I love being in New York," the third-year man declared, per the New York Post.
Over the early portions of his junior year with the Knicks, Quickley struggled to keep up the strong shooting pace he had over his first two seasons but is slowly rediscovering his scoring stroke. An 11-point showing in Friday's 121-102 win at Spectrum Center was his sixth double-figure effort over the past nine games, which have him shooting 48 percent from the field.
That's 13 percentage points above his first 17 showings of the year, during which Quickley made himself indispensable through solid rebounding and defensive effort. His current 4.3 average in the former category is a career-best.
There's some belief that Quickley could attain a larger role elsewhere, as well as free up the relative logjam the Knicks have at guard: Jalen Brunson obviously isn't going anywhere and Quentin Grimes has made a nest in the starting five. But Quickley has been the Knicks' most consistent reserve contributor by far and refused to indulge in deadline gossip, claiming he wasn't even aware of his name being dangled in trade discussions.
“I didn't even know (about the rumors),” Quickley told Newsday. “I don't have (anything) to say about it. I just worry about what I can control on the floor, and that's really all I worry about.”
Quickley and the Knicks return to action on Wednesday when they take on the Sacramento Kings at home (6 p.m. ET, MSG).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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