According to Shams, restricted free agent Emmanuel Quickley intends to re-sign the Raptors to a five-year, $175 million contract with an average annual salary of $35 million, according to sources.
ESPN reported that Quickley's agent, Raymond Brothers, and Raptors management have reached an agreement, and now Quickley will be seen as part of the cornerstone of the Raptors' future team.
You read that right, 175 million, 35 million a year, Raptors cornerstone, these words that seem a little crazy all happened to Quickley.
First of all, Quickley is definitely a good player, he was the 25th pick in the first round in the class of 2020, and he showed some talent as Rose's little brother as early as when he was still playing for the Knicks.
In the 2022-23 season, the Knicks ushered in a season of transformation, Brunson arrived, then played at an All-Star level and led the team to the second round.
Also this season, Quickley has actually made great progress, he can average 14.9 points per game, shooting 44.8% from the field and 37.0% from three-point range, compared to 11.3 points, 39.2% and 34.6% the year before, respectively, and in the final Sixth Man of the Year evaluation, Quickley lost to Brogdon in second place.
Then this season, Quickley was sent to Toronto in the OG Anunoby trade, and he did very well before and after being traded:
- Before being traded, 30 games, all benches, averaged 24 minutes per game, scored 15.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists, shooting 39.5% from three-point range, and 59.8% from the field
——After being traded, 38 games, all starts, 33 minutes per game, scored 18.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists, shooting 39.5% from three-point range and 56.4% from the field
Before being traded, Quickley was an extremely extravagant substitute, with excellent scoring and efficiency per unit of time, and the reason why he was traded was not because of his strength, but because of the Knicks' backcourt overflow, Anunobe Taixiang and Quickley facing a contract extension.
Since being traded, Quickley has made tremendous improvements, especially in passing and control turnovers, averaging 6.8 assists per game while only 1.8 turnovers, with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.67, which is quite impressive.
However, Quickley's concerns are not without concern:
1. Quickley's sample in the Raptors is too small, and don't forget that Bridges also played superstar performance after he was traded to the Nets last year, and as a result, it has declined this year
2. Quickley has three points and is very fast, but his finishing ability still needs to be improved, and there are basically no two points in the middle and long distance
3. Quickley is very active in defense and has good physical fitness, but his height is only 1.88 meters after all, which is a disadvantage that cannot be changed
Quickley feels a bit like a bankrupt version of Maxey, considering that he is at his best age at 25 years old, and his performance with the Raptors, he really should get a big contract, but, 175 million for 5 years? Annual salary of 35 million?
As a comparison, Dejounte Murray, who was just traded to the Pelicans, just renewed his contract with the Hawks ahead of schedule last season, and the contract is only 4 years and 120 million, which means that in the next four years, Quickley will take more money than Dejounte Murray.
A big reason for this is that the NBA has just signed a new broadcast contract, and the salary cap will definitely continue to increase in the next few years, when the annual salary of 30 million will only become more and more common - remember when Conley just signed 5 years and 150 million? Again, shocking the fans, but ultimately proving not to be at a premium, Quickley may just be the next such example.
It is worth mentioning that the Raptors not only renewed Quickley in the offseason, but also re-signed Scottie Barnes with a five-year 270 million maximum salary, which is the largest contract in the history of the Raptors and is also a controversial contract extension.
But one thing is for sure, the Raptors did use Barnes and Quickley as the core of the team, and as for what effect can be achieved, we should get a clearer answer next season.
In the end, I have to sigh that with the continuous increase in the salary cap, the contracts that will appear in the future will only get more and more crazy, just like back then, those who could get 20 million were superstars, and now a good role player can get more - such as Bruce Brown's annual salary of 23 million next season.
Maybe in a few years, 30 million will become the standard for the middle class, but fans still need time to get used to this madness.