Were the Knicks wise to keep Quentin Grimes out of Donovan Mitchell talks?

The New York Knicks had an eventful summer with the Utah Jazz, and it ended with nothing happening. Offers were made by both teams, but they weren’t able to come to an agreement.

Many fans were upset at the fact that Donovan Mitchell was traded elsewhere, but in the long run, it could show to be the right move. The national media was trying to make the Donovan Mitchell-Cavaliers trade all about the Knicks, even though they weren’t the losers of the deal.

And recently, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski suggested that New York didn’t want to include Quentin Grimes in a trade on an episode of the “The Woj Pod.”

Quentin Grimes can become a lockdown defender with the Knicks

If the Knicks acquired Mitchell, they would have one of the smaller backcourts in the NBA. Although Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell would be great offensively, they would lack defense. Both of them aren’t getting any better defensively either, so the fit wouldn’t really make sense.

On the other hand, Grimes has the potential to become a lockdown perimeter defender.

Going into this season, many are expecting Grimes to see a lot of time on the floor, as Tom Thibodeau is very keen on the 22-year-old. His 17.1 minutes per game last season should certainly increase, and fans will get to see how valuable Grimes is to the team.

In the 2020-2021 season, the Knicks were all about defense. Obviously, Julius Randle was an All-Star, but the main factor in the successful season was the team’s strong and physical defense.

Grimes should be the team’s starting SG, but unless Evan Fournier is moved, it likely won’t occur. Having a player like Grimes in the starting lineup would be huge for the Knicks, as he would be able to guard the opposing team’s best player.

He already has the tools to guard some of the best defensive players in the league, and he will only continue to get stronger defensively. Grimes will be starting in the near future for New York, and it will certainly pay off on the defensive end.

Quentin Grimes alongside RJ Barrett & Jalen Brunson would be a perfect fit for the Knicks

The Knicks have been looking for a superstar for a long time, but Donovan Mitchell isn’t that. This team has been building up assets for the future, and already has a great young core of players. The direction this team is headed in makes Grimes more valuable on the roster than Mitchell.

Many fans were dreaming about the RJ Barrett and Donovan Mitchell pairing. Who says that Grimes and Barrett can’t become the faces of the Knicks? After all, the second-year wing has shown what he can do on the offensive side when he gets the ball.

Grimes flat-out dominated his competition in the NBA Summer League recently. In less than 30 minutes per game, he was able to average 23.5 points. Fans already knew about his smooth three-point shooting, but he showed he is working hard on other areas of his offensive game.

In his rookie season in New York, he shot 38% from the arc and 40% from the field. He knows how to get the ball in the basket, and he is motivated to get better.

Creating his own shot looked easy for him this summer. He has the ability to finish in the paint, and if he can continue to grow his game he can certainly become an All-Star at some point.

At the end of the day, Donovan Mitchell is a better player than Quentin Grimes, but Grimes is still only 22. On top of that, he is already light years ahead of the new Cavaliers guard defensively.

The addition of Jalen Brunson and the extension of RJ Barrett gives fans hope to believe this team has playoff aspirations in the future. Grimes playing alongside those two makes perfect sense, and it would allow him to thrive. Both of those players do best when they are driving to the basket, and it requires the floor to be spread out. With the Texas native’s shooting ability, he would be able to get a lot of open looks beyond the three-point line, which is where he is at his best.

The fit of Grimes with this team is not only short-term but long-term also. It isn’t crazy to say that Grimes can become a great player alongside Brunson and Barrett.

The best teams build with what they have and stay patient. The Warriors and Celtics both have built within their system. Grimes could be the Knicks’ lightning in a bottle or a diamond in the rough. Just because he wasn’t a top pick in the draft doesn’t mean that the kid can’t become a valuable piece on a winning roster in the future.

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