From surprise to elation: Quickley, Barrett excited about trade to Raptors

TORONTO — “Happy New Year, y’all!”

That was how Immanuel Quickley made his public entrance as a Toronto Raptor.

And the 24-year-old, acquired on Saturday in a blockbuster trade with the New York Knicks, seemed like he meant it, too. It’s been a whirlwind 48 hours, but the talented six-foot-three guard is looking forward with excitement rather than over his shoulder with any regrets since he learned of the deal.

“I was in Indy [Friday], I was planning to play that night [against the Pacers],” Quickley said. “Really, I was asleep. My agent called me, and he said, 'call me right away, you're getting traded.' Thought it was still a dream because I just [had] woke up.

And?

“It's been unbelievable. Couldn't ask for anything better. Great city, great culture, the camaraderie of the team is great. You can tell people care about each other around here. And you couldn't ask for anything better than that.”

And that’s the guy who grew up outside Baltimore, played college basketball at Kentucky, and all of his NBA career in New York City.

Not surprisingly, the other guy acquired in the trade that saw OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn head to the Knicks, is pretty pleased to be here, too. That’s because RJ Barrett grew up a half-hour away from Scotiabank Arena and used to prowl the hallways in the company of his father, former national team star and Canada Basketball executive Rowan Barrett.

“My Initial reaction was like, what's going on?” said Barrett, who was introduced as a Raptor along with Quickley after the pair completed their first workout with their new team Monday morning.  “I like just woke up to it [Friday] and then [to be] coming home? Immediately I was happy. I grew up Raptors fan all my life. So to come here and put this jersey on this is gonna be great.

“… My dad would take me to games when I was younger. I remember watching like DeMar [DeRozan] and Jose Calderon and I remember when Kyle Lowry came over; just a lot of early memories just going to the games, you know, being a fan, always being excited. So to be here playing on the court now, it's gonna be different.”

The Raptors hope so, too, and have a lot riding on it. Barrett is under contract for three years after this season at $82 million and Quickley, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, will be essential for the Raptors to sign to make the deal a long-term success. If he excels the way the Raptors hope he does starting at guard alongside Scottie Barnes, he’ll likely command a contract worth nearly $30 million a season.

For the Raptors, the New Year and the new players are another step towards a new era as their decade as an Eastern Conference powerhouse slides further into the rear-view mirror.

How rapidly they can make themselves relevant again will ride heavily on Quickley proving the flashes of star-level potential he’s shown in limited opportunities while coming off the bench for a deep Knicks team, and Barrett, 23, growing into what could be a more expansive role than what he had playing for the Knicks. 

Both see being dealt from a Knicks team that is gunning for a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals or beyond to a Raptors club that will be fighting for a play-in spot as an opportunity.

“It is a new year,” said Quickley. “But I try to live with the same mindset of just trying to get better each and every day. Not too much is gonna change for me as far as that, but just trying to win is probably the biggest thing here, being part of a winning culture, a winning attitude, a winning mindset. I think that's probably the biggest thing but, day to day, I probably won't change too much.”

A starting role (whether it happens Monday night when Quickley is expected to make his Raptors debut against Cleveland) is considered inevitable, as one of the driving motivations for the deal was to pair the floor-spacing guard with Raptors forward Scottie Barnes. That will be a change for Quickley, who has only started 27 games in four seasons since being taken 25^th overall in the 2020 draft.

But much of the optimism for Quickley’s future with the Raptors stems from his performance in 21 games he started last season as an injury replacement with the Knicks. He averaged 22.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists with an impressively efficient True Shooting percentage of 60.5, reflecting his ability to finish in the paint and connect from deep.

He feels like he’s got more to give.

“Just showing my creativity as far as creating for my teammates, I think, is something [I can do more of],” he said. “When I was in New York, I was scoring a lot, but just being able to show that I can make other guys around me better is something I want to be able to show.”

For Barrett, the added opportunities to score as a cutter and to attack defences from the weak side in a Raptors offence that emphasizes more ball and player movement is something he is looking forward to doing, although his specific role remains uncertain. Barrett has averaged 18.1 points per game while starting all but one game in his career for the Knicks.

“I just got here,” Barrett said when asked about his expectations for his role with Toronto. “I got no clue.”

But as someone who grew up in Toronto and knows first-hand the level of passion that exists for a winning NBA team in his hometown, he’s excited about what the future might hold, and where he’s going to be spending it.

“I think for anybody to go home there is going to be, you know, a different feeling than for anybody else,” he said. “[Basketball] is this is the sport I play. This is what I do. I'm just going to be here to do my job [but] — I believe in this team. I believe that we can, we're gonna figure it out and figure out a way to be one of those top teams, you know. And so I think once we get to that point, over there, it's gonna feel even sweeter.”