Immanuel Quickley was in as much disbelief over Saturday’s big trade as the rest of us.
The New York Knicks agreed to send the fourth-year guard Quickley to the Toronto Raptors as part of a blockbuster deal for forward OG Anunoby. The huge move between Atlantic Division rivals took many by surprise, coming with still roughly a month-and-a-half to go before the trade deadline.
Quickley was definitely among those taken by surprise as well. Minutes after the news broke, Quickley went viral for his post on X reacting to the trade.
“Oh my goodness,” Quickley wrote.
The 24-year-old Quickley had long been rumored as a potential trade candidate, especially after he failed to agree to a rookie extension with the Knicks before the season (setting him up for restricted free agency in 2024). But the suddenness of the move (with little to no rumors linking Quickley to Toronto beforehand) was still fairly stunning.
A Sixth Man of the Year finalist last season, Quickley is averaging a career-high 15.0 points per game this season. The move to Toronto should be good news for Quickley as he will immediately get a chance to become the starting point guard (with even greater offensive responsibilities if the Raptors end up moving this expected trade candidate as well).
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