One NBA executive suggested a potential trade between the New York Knicks and the Toronto Raptors that would involve Raptors forward O.G. Anunoby and Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley.
“The Raptors would be a really good fit for (Quickley),” the exec told Heavy Sports. “And the Knicks would be a really good fit for Anunoby. He’s just a monster defender. Things have been pretty quiet in Toronto but there is still a feeling that they’re going to make another move here after what happened with Fred [VanVleet]. Maybe they will stick with what they have but that roster is missing a lot.
“But I think there are a lot of questions for teams who are not sure they want to pay Quickley what he wants.”
The Raptors could be in need of a new point guard with VanVleet leaving the team in free agency to sign with the Houston Rockets.
While the Raptors did bring in guard Dennis Schroder in free agency, Quickley is a younger player that the team could build around going forward.
The former first-round pick is entering the final season of his rookie deal in the 2023-24 campaign, and Toronto would likely need to cough up a pretty penny to keep Quickley for the long term.
A finalist for the Sixth Man of the Year award last season, Quickley was a huge spark plug for the Knicks. He averaged 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from beyond the arc in the 2022-23 campaign.
What may be more impressive are Quickley’s numbers from last season when he was in the starting lineup. As a starter in the 2022-23 season, Quickley averaged 22.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 21 games.
That could be a sign for Toronto that he is worth a long-term investment.
As for the Knicks, they could use some more size on the wing behind RJ Barrett and Josh Hart, making Anunoby a solid fit.
Anunoby shot 38.7 percent from beyond the arc last season and is one of the game’s best two-way players. He could opt out of his deal following the 2023-24 season, but the Knicks may be more willing to pay him than Quickley since they already have a great point guard in Jalen Brunson.
It’s unclear if the two sides have discussed such a deal, but it appears at least one executive thinks it makes sense.
