'Thank You, New York!' Quentin Grimes Says Good Bye to 'Honor' of Knicks Jersey
The New York times are over for Quentin Grimes.
Grimes is bound for the Detroit Pistons as the headlining piece of the New York Knicks' blockbuster trade deadline that is sending Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks to Manhattan. Acquiring Bogdanovic and Burks gives the Knicks one of the deepest rotations in the NBA on paper and should no doubt raise expectations as New York prepares to embark on a potentially lucrative playoff run.
The primary sacrifice is Grimes, a third-year first-round pick who was one of the few homegrown pieces left on the New York roster. With the trade to Detroit made official, Grimes offered a heartfelt thanks to the Knicks and their fans in an X post on Friday.
Vincent Carchietta, USA TODAY SPORTS
"It was an honor to be able to wear a Knicks jersey and represent the city!" an optimistic Grimes wrote. "Your love and support throughout the years has meant the world. Forever grateful to the entire Knicks organization, my teammates, and most importantly the fans. THANK YOU, NEW YORK."
Grimes was a first-round pick in 2021 (25th overall), acquired in a draft day trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Kansas/Houston alum averaged 8.6 points and shot just under 38 percent from three-point range in 162 showings with the Knicks, including 90 starts.
Though Grimes had fallen out of management's favor this season, he was one of the breakout pieces of the Knicks' resurgent 2022-23 campaign: granted the starting shooting guard duties over Evan Fournier (who is also Detroit-bound) and Cam Reddish, Grimes averaged 11.6 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting over 46 percent from the field.
Grimes also established a name for himself on defense, drawing the Donovan Mitchell defensive assignment during last year's Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Knicks kept Grimes out of the ultimately futile negotiations for Mitchell's services over the summer of 2022 and he rewarded that faith by limiting the Cleveland All-Star to less than 40 percent from the field over the final three games of the series, including a 5-of-24 mark from three-point range. New York won the series 4-1 to earn its first postseason advancement since 2013. Grimes also sank the winning free throws of the series' opening game despite trash talk from Mitchell.
Set to turn 24 in May, Grimes appears to have enough upside to potentially linger as a fringe starter in the NBA. He'll get a chance to work in relatively consequence-free settings, as the Pistons (8-43) were one of the major sellers amidst this season's deadline.
Time will tell when Grimes makes his Detroit debut, as he missed the Knicks' last four games with a knee injury. Both teams return to action on Saturday, with Detroit continuing a western swing against the Clippers (3:30 p.m. ET, Bally Sports Detroit).
