The Toronto Raptors acquired Immanuel Quickley in 2023 as part of the OG Anunoby trade, and that offseason, they paid him as if he were already one of the better point guards in the league. Why? Because they thought that was the direction he was headed in, but the past season and a half have told a different story. The front office has offered IQ in trades to a couple of teams since then, but his contract is an issue.
With the Feb. 5 deadline looming, the Raptors could try to move Quickley to ease their financial stress, but as they know by now, a deal won't be easy. There is a team that could be willing to take on the rest of his deal, but it'd be a last-ditch hope for Toronto.
Josh Robbins of The Athletic reported that, following the Trae Young trade, the Wizards are "open to absorbing other teams' multi-year contracts if potential trade partners attach sweeteners such as future draft picks or intriguing young players." He listed Quickley as an example of a player with the kind of contract Washington could be willing to take on (subscription required).
To be clear, the Wizards aren't targeting Quickley, nor are the Raptors desperate enough (not yet) to attach draft capital to move off his deal. More so, this is the exact kind of deal that Toronto should be hoping doesn't come to fruition, as the goal in an IQ trade should be to try to get something of value in return.
Dumping Quickley's salary is the Raptors' worst-case scenario
Quickley is averaging 16.3 points, 6.1 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game, shooting 42.4% from the field and 34.6% from three, his lowest percentage from that distance since his second season in the NBA, when he also shot 34.6% from deep.
By no means is IQ a bad player, but his contract certainly isn't favorable. Toronto is set to pay him $32.5 million annually through the 2028-29 season. He's 26 years old, so there is a world where he will progress to be the player the Raptors envisioned he'd be when they signed him to a five-year extension, but there is also a world where this version of Quickley is all that they'll get.
In other words, there is no reason for Toronto, the fourth-best team in the East, to make a desperation move, like a salary dump to Washington, before the deadline to move off Quickley's contract. If the Raptors could use an upgrade in a year or two, they could revisit a trade then, if he's still around.
Right now, though, the front office shouldn't pick up the phone to reach out to the Wizards, nor should they trade for Ja Morant, who reportedly doesn't want the Grizzlies to trade him.