Offseason Report Card: Raptors get an A, four Bs, three Cs and a D for summer moves
6. Re-signed Immanuel Quickley
Signed restricted free agent point guard Immanuel Quickley to a five-year, $175 million contract with $162 million guaranteed
In a headline so quiet you may have missed it, the true details of Immanuel Quickley's contract extension were announced: he will be making $32.5 million per season across his five year deal, with another $2.5 million per season in unlikely incentives. Those are likely difficult-to-achieve goals such as making All-NBA, team success, or even scoring and shooting thresholds; things the Raptors would be happy to pay Quickley for if they occur.
That new reporting changes the tenor of Immanuel Quickley's next contract. It was always going to be the case that the Raptors would pay up to retain him after trading for him last season, and that internal leverage allowed Quickley to negotiate a strong deal. For the original $175 million deal to turn out to be more of a $162.5 million deal takes some of the sticker shock away.
It's still a lot of money to pay a player who hasn't yet proven himself as a co-star, a player capable to growing into an All-Star. He was dynamic backing up Jalen Brunson in New York and he maintained his level of shooting efficiency in a larger role in Toronto last year, but he wasn't dropping 25 points and 10 assists per night; he increased his volume to a point, but he also deferred to RJ Barrett. That isn't bad, and it could help drive winning if he finds that right balance, but it also means he may not be a $32.5 or $35 million player.
It's not clear who the Raptors were negotiating against; the Orlando Magic seemed to be looking elsewhere with their cap space, but perhaps the Detroit Pistons waded into the mix with a restricted free agent offer sheet. It seems likely the Raptors could have worked out a deal at a lower number with Quickley; restricted free agency is a useful tool to do that. It's not a terrible overpay, but it's not a given Quickley reaches that level.
Grade: C+