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With Knicks executives Leon Rose and William Wesley and assistant coach Kenny Payne, you had to figure Kentucky would become part of the Knicks’ draft picture. And how. In a dizzying few, confusing
With Knicks executives Leon Rose and William Wesley and assistant coach Kenny Payne, you had to figure Kentucky would become part of the Knicks’ draft picture.
And how.
In a dizzying few, confusing minutes late in the first round, the Knicks dealt their recently obtained No. 23 pick and traded down to No. 25, where they picked Kentucky’s 3-point shooting point guard Immanuel Quickley. The Knicks also got Minnesota’s 33rd pick in the trade.
After taking scoring forward Obi Toppin with their lottery pick, the Knicks needed to add a PG to the roster and Quickley, 21, is an athletic floor spacer.
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The 6-foot-4 Quickley was the SEC Player of the Year last season as a sophomore.
New assistant coach Payne coached Quickley at Kentucky this past season. Rose and Wesley, as agents, were close to the Kentucky program with John Calipari as a client.
In an amusing scene, Calipari went on ESPN to talk about Quickley and had to inform the interviewer Quickley was traded to the Knicks.
He’s a scoring point guard and averaged 16 points and just 1.9 assists, playing alongside Tyrese Maxey. He shot 42.8 percent from 3. He’ll join two Kentucky alums in Julius Randle and Kevin Knox.
Originally at No. 23, the Knicks had selected Argentine Leandro Bolmaro but they were picking for Minnesota.
