Knicks Trade Rumors: Quentin Grimes Next to Go?

As the New York Knicks seek further reinforcements in a trade, Quentin Grimes may stand as their most attractive option considering his youth, upside, and recent inactivity.

It could be a prime time for Grimes time on the New York Knicks' transactional front.

Per Fred Katz of The Athletic, "rival executives" have said that the Knicks "are actively fielding offers" for third-year backcourt man Quentin Grimes as the Feb. 8 trade deadline approaches. Grimes was the team's first-round pick in 2021 and emerged as one of the team's breakout contributors during last season's 47-win trek. 

Katz refers to Grimes as "the sole young player the Knicks could throw into a deadline deal" after previously sending RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to the Toronto Raptors for a three-player package headlined by OG Anunoby.

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"It’s no guarantee the Knicks trade Grimes before Feb. 8. No deal is imminent, according to team sources," Katz writes. "But the wheels are already turning on a possible exit. If New York doesn’t part with Grimes in the next three weeks, it could finally pull the trigger this upcoming summer."

Year three of Grimes' New York tenure has been a rollercoaster: it began with the Houston alum reprising his role in the Knicks' starting five after usurping the title from Evan Fournier last season but a brutal start to the season (5.8 points on less than 36 percent from the field over his first 18 games) saw him lose the spot to newcomer Donte DiVincenzo.

Since moving to the second unit on Dec. 8, Grimes has rediscovered some of his spark, averaging 8.0 points on an improved success rate of 44.5 percent from the field. But even with depth star Quickley gone and star point guard Jalen Brunson missing the last two games, Grimes has struggled to find a consistent role. 

Since missing Dec. 30's game in Indiana with an illness, Grimes has played over 20 minutes only twice, the prime minutes instead going to either Miles McBride or Malachi Flynn. The Knicks appear to have some sort of plan for McBride, Grimes' draft classmate who was bestowed a three-year contract extension. McBride has been in the starting lineup for each of the past two games with Brunson nursing a calf bruise.

Katz says that Grimes' dwindling role and the Knicks' upcoming financial responsibilities make him redundant on the metropolitan landscape.

"The Knicks are coming to a crossroads with Grimes, who is eligible after the season for an extension of his rookie-scale contract, the same type of deal that Quickley could have received but did not in 2023," Katz says. "Of course, New York flipped Quickley to Toronto." 

"The roster will become expensive only a year later when they hope to have Anunoby still in town (which will take a premium new contract) and when Brunson and Julius Randle can hit free agency. If both continue this level of play, they will receive significant raises."

Quentin Grimes Disgruntled With Thibodeau, Knicks Role?

Cooling on Grimes is perhaps surprising considering the lengths the Knicks went to keep him out of recent major deals. Utah Jazz insider Tony Jones, for example, referred to Grimes as a "sticking point" when the Knicks were in the thick of ultimately futile Donovan Mitchell negotiations.

Grimes and the Knicks (23-17) will officially hit the midway point of their season on Wednesday when they host the Houston Rockets at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).