Per Shams Charania, a lead NBA insider, former Kentucky Wildcat Immanuel Quickley intends to sign a five-year $175 million dollar extension with the Toronto Raptors.
Quickly is a restricted free agent that recently moved to Toronto after being traded from his initial home in New York in a deal that included another name very heavily spoken of this offseason, OG Anunoby.
A consensus five-star prospect out of Havre de Grace, Maryland, Quickley committed to Kentucky and John Calipari for the 2018-19 season after being a McDonald’s All-American following his career with The John Carroll School.
While many expected him to be another in a long string of “one-and dones” for Calipari at Kentucky, Quickley ultimately decided to play a sophomore season, though it would unfortunately be cut short due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which cancelled the SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament on a UK squad that seemed to be finding its stride.
He started just seven games and averaged 5.2 points per game as a freshman but excelled his sophomore year, jumping up to 20 games started and 16.1 points per game.
For his efforts, Quickley was selected No. 25 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks.
Spending three full seasons — one partial season — in New York, Quickley never averaged below 10 points per game in a season, peaking at 15 per game just before being shipped to Toronto. Perhaps his best season in New York, though, was his 2022-23 season in which he started in 21 games for a Knicks squad that returned to the NBA playoffs and defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers before falling to the Miami Heat — which would go on to make the NBA Finals — in the second round.
Midway through his most recent campaign came the deal that sent Quickley to Toronto, along with Knicks teammate RJ Barrett and a second round draft pick, for Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn.
With Toronto, Quickley averaged 17 points per game and shot 43.4% from the field, being a bright spot for a struggling Raptors team that finished 25-57, missing the NBA Playoffs.
With the Raptors looking to rebuild, management saw Quickley as an important piece to build around and the extension was made, with the former Cat expected to agree to the terms.
