Knicks Trade Immanuel Quickey: 3 More PG Targets for Spurs
The New York Knicks made a blockbuster trade with the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, sending a package of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and a future draft pick for OG Anunoby, Malachi Flynn, and Precious Achiuwa. Quickley, 24, will be a free agent this summer and was a sought-after young point guard before the trade was made. The Raptors are going for young talent to surround Scottie Barnes as they start a small rebuild, and the Knicks are all-in on bolstering their starting lineup with Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle.
Since Quickley is a young point guard, the San Antonio Spurs were one of the teams linked to him as they try to find a compatible point guard to pair with Victor Wembanyama. Draft prospects Nikola Topic and Isaiah Collier are intriguing and promising, but they don’t have the instant impact of an already-established NBA player.
Dec 23, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) sits on the bench with teammates during the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center.
© Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
With Quickly off the table and getting familiar with a new team, there are still plenty of talented young point guards available. Granted, some are more realistic than others, but from the outlandish, risky, and relatively safe, the Spurs have plenty of options.
A Brotherly Backcourt. Tyus Jones of the Washington Wizards is reportedly on the trade market. The older brother of Tre Jones, Tyus established himself as an excellent backup point guard behind Ja Morant in Memphis and has been a sound floor general for the woeful Wizards this year. A pass-first guard, he plays a very similar game to his brother, just with a more refined shot. He shoots 36 percent from deep in his career and would be an excellent pick-and-roll pairing with Wembanyama.
Since 2017, Jones has been top-three in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio, so the ball would be in safe hands. The Wizards are in full rebuild mode and would want picks for Jones, so two future picks and salary filler–Doug McDermott–might move Washington.
A Risky Rehab Pick. Lonzo Ball has not played since January of 2022 and is not expected to play this season at all due to a knee injury. He will step on an NBA court for the first time in nearly two years next season, and even that is not a guarantee. However, his rehab is progressing and before his injury, he was a defensive-minded, pass-first guard who would thrive in a lineup with Wembanyama and three-point shooters like Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, and Devin Vassell.
In the season and a half before his injury, he averaged 14 points, 5.5 assists, and 1.6 steals. He also shot 39 percent from deep, up from 31 percent in his first two seasons with the Lakers. The Bulls seem hesitant to trade anyone aside from Zach LaVine, but DeMar DeRozan ran point to great success when he was on the Spurs and could do it again, so if Billy Donovan wants to hand the reigns to his star veteran, there is a blueprint to do it.
Depending on the direction the Bulls want to take things, the Bulls could want role-players or draft picks for Ball. Either way, the Spurs can make it happen, but it would be a roll of the dice with Ball’s injury history.
The Spurs Go All-Out. Cade Cunningham is not on the trade block, but the Pistons have lost 28 in a row and should be looking to clear house. If they decide to start from scratch, they could name their price for Cunningham, who, at 22 years old, is averaging 23.3 points and shooting 34 percent from deep. Remarkably, he is also posting 7.1 assists per game, which is insane considering the options he has to pass to.
The Pistons would demand a massive haul of picks for Cunningham, and the Spurs could entertain that. Cunningham showed in college that he can be one of the best pick-and-roll players in the league, but has never really played with a viable partner. Enter Victor Wembanyama. Surrounding that duo with elite shooters already on the roster would immediately make the Spurs infinitely better. A war chest of picks would be the asking price, but it’s only been two calendar years since Cunningham was the undisputed first-overall pick. He’s been playing quite well, but for a horrible team that frankly is not fun to watch, so people have written him off.
If the Spurs decide to pull the trigger on any of these guards, they would immediately be elevated out of the cellar. However, there is merit in drafting and developing a pooing guard of their own next summer, so there is not a rush on how the Spurs should move forward with their backcourt.
