Despite drafting possibly the best rookie of all time in Victor Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs won just 22 games this season. While this isn’t abnormal for a team that had the No. 1 overall pick, the Spurs likely want to speed up their timeline after seeing Wemby dominate.
Fortunately, this offseason, the Spurs have the fifth-most cap space in the NBA to work with as they try to acquire some help for Wemby. With that said, there’s one free agent in particular who would be a perfect fit in San Antonio: Immanuel Quickley of the Toronto Raptors.
While with the New York Knicks, Quickley made quite the name for himself as an emerging young guard. However, with the Raptors, Quickley elevated his game to a new level. In 38 games with Toronto, Quickley averaged 18.6 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.8 rebounds. Not only was he very productive across the board, he shot roughly 40% from beyond the arc on over seven attempts per game.
Quickley would greatly increase San Antonio's chances at making the playoffs, but he’s also only 24 years old. With his playmaking taking a jump this season, his connection with Wemby would be seamless. Neither player has to score a ton to impact the game, but they both can if needed.
Furthermore, with the Spurs lacking a true starting point guard, Quickley would be a perfect fit. Devin Vassell is another player on the Spurs with an incredibly bright future, but he can’t account for all of the production in the backcourt. Tre Jones is still developing, but he’s simply not a starting point guard on a playoff team.
A lineup consisting of Immanuel Quickley, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, and Victor Wembanyama would be lethal. The craziest part? The average age in this lineup is 22.2 years old, and they averaged a combined 85 PPG this season. This group could be the Spurs' core for the foreseeable future.
It's worth noting that Quickley is a restricted free agent, so it's very possible that the Raptors will match any offer sheet he receives (especially since he was one of the centerpieces of their OG Anunoby trade with the New York Knicks). Still, the Spurs should absolutely extend an offer to Quickley and try to land his services.
According to Michael Grange of Sportsnet, Quickley’s projected contract is around $27 million per year. Perhaps the Spurs could extend an offer that makes the Raptors seriously consider letting him walk.
Even after acquiring Quickley, the Spurs would have the flexibility to add more players in free agency or via trade, giving them a chance to snag another player who can have an immediate impact.
If the Spurs land Quickley, a playoff push next year would be possible, but they'd be even scarier in two to three years. The Spurs’ front office has done an incredible job of assembling a talented young core, but adding Quickley could be the “splash” move that helps them take off.
