When the dominos fall, past decisions tend to be put into a brighter light. In the case of Quentin Grimes, the decision to send him to the Detroit Pistons ultimately enabled the New York Knicks to move Bojan Bogdanovic as a salary-matching piece in the Mikal Bridges trade.
For as true as that may be, one can't help but acknowledge how well Grimes is playing with the Dallas Mavericks—and how much value he could've provided to a Knicks team in need of wing depth.
Grimes, 24, spent the better part of three seasons with the Knicks before he was traded to the Pistons at the 2024 NBA trade deadline. He'd flashed potential as a 3-and-D wing in New York, averaging 11.3 points per game in 2022-23 and shooting 38.4 percent from distance between his first two seasons.
Grimes struggled to find his place in the rotation once more talent arrived, however, thus resulting in New York's decision to move on.
After playing just six games for the Pistons, Grimes was traded yet again—this time to the Dallas Mavericks in July. Many labeled it a surprising deal for a team that competed in the NBA Finals mere weeks prior, but their faith is being rewarded.
As the Knicks win at a contending level but search for answers to a lack of perimeter depth, Grimes is thriving in Dallas.
Knicks can only watch as Quentin Grimes breaks out with Mavericks
Grimes has appeared in 33 games this season, starting 11. During that time, he's averaged 10.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 0.8 offensive boards, 1.8 assists, and 1.6 three-point field goals made while registering a slash line of .477/.406/.762.
If his current shooting marks hold, it would be the third time in four seasons that Grimes will have shot at least 38.1 percent from beyond the arc.
There's reason to believe those figures will hold, as Grimes has taken his game to another level since the final week of November. He'd been averaging 6.0 points in 18.4 minutes per game through his first 16 appearances, but has since broken out in a borderline astonishing way.
In an almost identical sample size of 17 games, Grimes has averaged 13.9 points in 25.8 minutes per contest, scoring at least 20 on five different occasions.
With Luka Doncic sidelined, Grimes has stepped up as Dallas attempts to develop an identity with their franchise player out. He's delivered explosive scoring performances, solid defensive displays, and efficient showings from beyond the arc.
Through 35 team games, Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson are the only Mavericks burying more triples per contest in 2024-25 than Grimes—and only Irving has been more efficient.
New York shouldn't kick itself too much, as it's unclear if it would've been able to keep Grimes out of the trades for Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. One simply can't help but acknowledge how badly it needs a reserve cut from the same cloth as a player they previously had.
If the Knicks are going to take the final step toward becoming a championship-caliber team, it may very well need to add a wing capable of providing elusive depth—one with a skill set Grimes already possesses.