When the Raptors handed Immanuel Quickley a five-year, $175 million extension in the 2024 offseason, many were left wondering about the hefty price tag for a restricted free agent. But in today’s NBA, where contracts keep getting bigger, there was also a chance this deal could turn out to be a smart financial move down the line — especially if Quickley makes a significant leap to stardom.
With all due respect to Quickley, who’s coming off a scorching stretch that earned him the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award, the overall return on this investment for the Toronto Raptors has been far from ideal. This isn’t so much about Toronto waiting for IQ to make a big leap into star guard territory anymore; it’s more about whether he can maintain a steady wave of consistency and winning effort.
We’ve seen glimpses of that several times this season, but now it seems like we’re trending back into the uncertain, tumultuous, and volatile game that’s largely defined Immanuel Quickley in the post-extension timeline. Quickley looked far from matching his West Coast brilliance in the Raptors' last two games against New York and Orlando, which didn’t do much to improve the touchy IQ discourse.
Raptors' options are narrowing for Immanuel Quickley
Likewise, Raptors fans have been hearing about rising trade rumors, but there's also talk about Toronto's lack of attractive contracts on the market. Immanuel Quickley has been mentioned as a usual suspect in these discussions. I wouldn't go so far as to say Quickley is at the point of no return with his offensive potential, but calling him 'streaky' definitely fits.
The Raptors are undoubtedly caught in a web here — market interest in IQ's contract has been practically nonexistent. That means Toronto will probably have to sacrifice draft capital to move it, or they’ll have to ride it out and hope he can return to form, contributing consistently over longer stretches to help the Raptors win.
With the growing Giannis trade talks, Toronto probably wishes they could just move an assortment of players — like RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, Brandon Ingram (if they were willing), and especially Immanuel Quickley as a valuable upside asset — to entice the Bucks. I’d guess Toronto set this price tag for IQ, expecting him to hit a solid peak eventually. But as it stands, he’s not exactly looking like a consistent, unquestionably reliable $30-plus million player for teams to pounce on.
Just as it seemed like the IQ jump was legit — Raptors fans have been rooting for it — we're back to wondering about his future on this roster. Not just because of the money, but also because of how impactful he can be in that starting point guard role, especially now that RJ Barrett has returned to the lineup (that's a topic on its own).
The Raptors got a great taste of winning basketball by pairing IQ with another stout ball handler like Jamal Shead, but since shifting away from that strategy, it’s pretty much confirmed the idea that Quickley is best when he's not handling the crucial PG duties.
Toronto will need to figure it out, of course, since they’re the ones who put themselves in this position.