3 Knicks who are expendable and 2 they can't afford to trade

No. 3: Quentin Grimes is expendable

Every NBA contender needs a player like Quentin Grimes, a low-usage player who spaces the court on offense and who can defend multiple positions on the perimeter. From Danny Green to J.R. Smith to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the teams winning NBA championships almost always have this archetype of player to help them fill out lineups.

The issue with finding such players, however, is that all but the best tend to fluctuate in and out of effectiveness. If your offensive skill is shooting, the vagaries of three-point shooting mean that in some games, months, and even seasons, you will go through a cold stretch, and suddenly your value is held back. That's what Grimes and the Knicks are experiencing this season.

After shooting above 38 percent from three-point range in each of his first two seasons, Grimes is hitting just 34.5 percent of his three-pointers. His free-throw shooting is also back under 70 percent, a bad sign for Grimes being the kind of set-it-and-forget-it shooter they were hoping he was. His minutes are down, his scoring is down, and every other contribution is down.

Grimes doesn't have the size at 6'5" to easily play other positions; he's somewhat shoehorned in as a shooting guard. The Knicks are flush with players in that size range, from the 6'3" Quickley and the 6'4" Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo. That makes Grimes expendable, for all that he seemed to be a crucial part of their core a year ago.

That obviously doesn't mean the Knicks should trade Grimes for nothing; unlike Obi Toppin, Grimes has a path to both playing time and effectiveness if he starts hitting his shots. The Knicks can be patient, but if, by including Grimes, they can execute a trade, they should feel free to do so.