NBA exec on Kentucky's Cason Wallace: 'He can be a combo guard similar to Immanuel Quickley'

Michael Scotto: I was talking to an NBA scout who said, “IQ has the perfect role there, but could start on a different team if it was constructed differently.” I think the big elephant in the room here is he’s playing so well that you’re going to have to have real conversations about an extension for him this summer and what that would look like. -via HoopsHype / March 9, 2023

Michael Scotto: Looking ahead, it’s hard to see a fit for Obi Toppin,who’s owed $6.8 million next season before he hitsthe restricted free agency market in the summer of 2024. Toppin is stuck behind Julius Randle, who’s going to play 35-37 minutes a night when healthy, and Toppin hasn’t been able to play alongside Randle as a small-ball five. With Toppin and Immanuel Quickley eligible for extensions before next season. Looking ahead to the offseason, he’s a potential trade candidate, in my opinion. -via HoopsHype / March 9, 2023

Quickley scored 21 points against the Heat and a career-high 38 points in 55 minutes against the Celtics while filling in for injured starter Jalen Brunson.  “He’s a hard one. You want more of a body of work playing big minutes. [Sunday] night was beyond big minutes,” ESPN salary cap guru Bobby Marks, the former Nets executive, said in a phone interview. “But at the end of the day, where does he fall into the pecking order of Brunson, you still have [Julius] Randle, [RJ] Barrett’s contract hasn’t started yet, eventually [Quentin] Grimes. You want to prioritize cap space certainly in 2024. I think he’s a priority for New York, but I don’t think he’s a July 1 priority.”  -via New York Post / March 7, 2023