New York Knicks fans can't complain too much about the front office regime. Leon Rose took over as president of basketball operations in 2020 and he transformed the Knicks to a contender. There used to be days where fans could only dream of a playoff berth, and New York will soon finish in the top six of the East for the third consecutive season.
Yes, there are questions about what they'll be able to accomplish in the postseason after two offseason trades that shook the roster up (we're not going to get into all of that right now), but there's no denying they're in a better position than they once were.
The front office has had a couple of blunders though, including the pre-deadline trade in 2024. The Knicks sent Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier, Malachi Flynn, and Ryan Arcidiacono to the Pistons for Bojan Bodganovic and Alec Burks. Bogdanovic and Burks spent only three months in New York, as the team traded the former to Brooklyn in the Mikal Bridges deal and let the latter walk in free agency.
Detroit didn't pick up Fournier's team option for 2024-25, so he became a free agent. He decided to play overseas after not getting signed by another NBA team. What about the other key player involved in the 2024 trade? Well, Grimes is thriving in Philadelphia (imagine reading that sentence two years ago).
Quentin Grimes shines for Sixers after being traded by Mavs
Grimes was traded to Dallas over the summer as part of the Tim Hardaway Jr. deal. He got off to a rough start with the Mavericks, but eventually found his stride. However, he didn't stay in Dallas for long, as Nico Harrison traded Grimes and a second-round pick to Philadelphia for Caleb Martin.
The Sixers' season has been disastrous, to say the least. Philadelphia has dealt with several season-ending injuries, including to Joel Embiid, Jared McCain, and Paul George (who was ruled out for the season on Monday).
Grimes arrived in Philly at a time when fans desperately needed something to cheer for. Nobody could've guessed he'd be playing as well as he is. Grimes is averaging 21.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game, shooting 51% from the field and 39.3% from three. Yes, the sample size is small (17 games), but he's playing the way Knicks fans hoped he would in New York.
Odds are that even if Grimes stayed with the Knicks past the 2024 deadline, he would've been included in the deal for Bridges or Towns. However, it's hard not to think about what might've been if he stayed, especially because New York could really use a 3-and-D threat off the bench. The Knicks average 34.1 threes per game, one of the lowest marks in the league.
Grimes will be a restricted free agent this summer, and he's significantly upped his value the past few weeks. The Sixers might not be able to afford to keep him, especially if a team with cap space like the Jazz go after him. Let's just say it'd be a lot easier for New York fans to be happier for Grimes if he played for a team like Utah instead of Philadelphia.