Cap Guru Predicts Huge Extension for Knicks’ 6th Man

Getty Immanuel Quickley of the New York Knicks reacts during the first half against the Boston Celtics.

Spotrac's cap guru Keith Smith predicted that New York Knicks‘ electrifying guard Immanuel Quickley would parlay his Sixth Man of the Year runner-up finish into a huge payday this summer.

Smith sees Quickley getting "$84 million with incentives that could bring it up to $90 million, no options" from the Knicks.

"Quickley is a really fun player. He's a scoring machine and a solid defender. He’d probably start for a handful of teams around the NBA. The challenge with the Knicks is that starting him and Jalen Brunson would be a tiny backcourt. That keeps Quickley in a bench role, and that limits his upside contract-wise. But the Knicks would do well to get him signed long-term. Something bridging his current role with his potential makes sense, as New York loves to add incentives into their contracts," Smith wrote.

Quickley's extension is one of the Knicks’ top priorities this summer, aside from Josh Hart, who told Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks that he will "probably decline that and do the free agency thing."

Quickley took a major leap this season, averaging career-highs in minutes (28.9), scoring (14.9), field goal shooting (44.8%), rebounds (4.2) and steals (1.0).

His +8.5 point differential (team points scored minus team points allowed per 100 possessions) is in the 91st percentile and seventh among all combo guards in the league, according to Cleaning The Glass.

In 60 games off the bench, Quickley was productive with 12.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game average. In 21 spot starts, he raised his play, averaging 22.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists while shooting 47% from the field and 40% on 3-pointers.

Quickley's rapid rise has made him "close to untouchable" as one NBA general manager told Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney.

Undoubtedly, the Knicks would like to keep Quickley. But will they offer the deal Smith predicted?

"They will try to lowball [Quickley] in an extension. Nothing against the Knicks in saying that, just that is what the protocol is. Every team does it," the exec told Deveney.

"You know, four years and $50 million, hope he goes for it. Would they come up from that? Maybe. But I know that whatever talks there were about trading him back in November, that is gone," the Eastern Conference GM added.

According to Michael Scotto of Hoopshype, Quickley could fetch a minimum of four-year, $80 million contact extension.

"In talking with people around the league, this is what I’ve gathered as far as looking at his value. At worst, his floor would be four years, $80 million," Scotto said on the May 25 episode of the Hoopshype podcast with his guest, Knicks beat reporters Ian Begley of SNY and Stefan Bondy of New York Daily News. "Then, you’re getting into a conversation of, to make sense for Quickley, is it in the four-year, $100 range?"

During the regular season, Quickley played his way into becoming the Knicks’ fourth-best player and, at times, the third-best on the roster.

The Knicks’ top three players — Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle and RJ Barrett — all bagged four-year deals worth over $100 million. Currently, the Knicks’ fourth-highest-paid player in their rotation is starting center Mitchell Robinson, who fetched a four-year, $60 million contract to return last summer.