The New York Knicks made one of the biggest deals in the league a couple of seasons ago, and it’s having major consequences for another team.
In the 2023-24 season, the Knicks were looking to build the perfect team around Jalen Brunson. Well before the 2024 offseason arrivals of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, the Knicks made a deal to acquire OG Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors.
While that deal was clearly a great decision for the Knicks, fans were unsure at the time as the team had to part with fan favorite Immanuel Quickley. While injuries and inconsistent play have kept Quickley from reaching his full potential in Toronto, Anunoby just helped the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years.
Another reason the Knicks made their deal was to avoid having to pay Quickley in the 2024 offseason. In Toronto, Quickley signed a five-year, $175 million deal, which is having a significant impact on the 2025 free agency picture.
While Quickley is set for the next half-decade, some players in restricted free agency this year are struggling to find deals. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks recently explained, Quickley’s big deal is making things tough for the Chicago Bulls’ negotiation with Josh Giddey.
“Certainly, Josh Giddey’s like, ‘I want [Quickley’s] contract there,’” Marks said. “That number has screwed up a lot of things.”
As the Bulls look to extend Giddey this offseason, it’s hard to imagine they’d be in this situation if not for the Knicks’ big midseason splash in 2023. While New York is sitting pretty as a championship contender, it has also unintentionally caused problems for one of its biggest rivals.
