Knicks’ Immanuel Quickley ‘has been a true professional’ as extension deadline nears

The clock continues to tick. sixth man remains as the Oct. 23 deadline to sign one draws near.

Quickley is entering the final year of his rookie contract and — barring a buzzer-beating agreement — will become a restricted free agent next summer. That means he’ll be able to test the free agency market, but the Knicks will retain first right of refusal, the ability to match any competing offer sheet to keep the shifty scorer in The City. Knicks president Leon Rose and Quickley’s agent Raymond Brothers could undercut that process by hammering home a deal that makes both sides happy.

Quickley has not let the lack of an extension deter him from participating in practice and playing with the team. “Quick is gonna play. He’s gonna play every day,” said Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau after practice on Saturday.

“One on one, two on two, whatever it is. ” “Quick has been coming in every day to do his job. He’s had a great attitude, and it was a similar position when I was in Dallas,” added floor general Jalen Brunson.

“And he’s mentally ready to go. And that’s all you can ask of him. He’s been a true professional.

I just know he’ll stay that way. ” Before he signed a free-agent contract with the Knicks, Brunson spent the first four seasons of his career with the Dallas Mavericks. Unlike Quickley’s contract, which contains a fourth-year team option, Brunson’s deal was for four years with no options and did not make him a restricted free agent at the end of the 2021-22 season.

The Mavericks did not give Brunson an extension at the beginning of his final season in Dallas, and Quickley’s situation is different: Even if he doesn’t sign an extension before the deadline, the Knicks can still keep him long term — either by signing him to a contract next summer or matching an opposing team’s offer in free agency. Knicks starter was in a comparable position at the end of last season, when he finished the third year of his rookie deal and didn’t agree to a contract extension until August. Barrett said he shied away from contact until the deal got done “Usually guys that are in that situation, you’re not gonna see them playing pickup or that sort of thing, but you will see them make the commitment to conditioning, and there’s really nothing you can do that can simulate the intensity of an NBA game,” Thibodeau said on Saturday.

“Even the pickup games, you’re not getting to that intensity level. So you can work on your shooting and sometimes that can be beneficial on that as well so you focus on the nuances that you need to improve in a particular area so you just shift that way. But the conditioning you try to do as best you can.

” Entering a season without a contract extension can have mixed results. It backfired on the , for example, when they didn’t lock standout center Deandre Ayton into a long-term deal entering the final year of his rookie contract, leading to questionable commitment to the team. They eventually agreed to a four-year extension worth $133 million, but the Suns sent Ayton this summer to the Portland Trail Blazers as they reshuffled of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.

Lack of an extension can also be a motivating factor, but Thibodeau said Quickley already has a chip on his shoulder. “The thing that I like about Quick is he’s had the same chip since we’ve had him. He had the chip at Kentucky.

When you study his makeup, that’s who he is,” he said. “He knows he’s a good player. He’s a gym rat, works on the game, can really think on his feet.

He has all the characteristics that you look for in a player. “So you let the agent handle it. Leon and his staff, they’re working toward the things that they have to do.

So everyone has to do the things that they think is best for themselves. ” The Knicks are keeping Charlie Brown Jr. , but both will see time in the G-League as newly converted two-way players.

The Knicks waived point guard Duane Washington Jr. who received praise from Julius Randle. That means DaQuan Jeffries and Ryan Arcidiacano remain candidates to make the final 15-man roster.

The Knicks have 12 players on guaranteed deals and now all three two-way spots are full, including forward Dylan Windler. If the Knicks keep Jeffries and Arcidiacono, they will have one roster spot open to add a player before the Oct. 23 deadline to set regular-season rosters.

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