'A Sticking Point': Why Quentin Grimes is Holding Up Knicks' Donovan Mitchell Trade

Which young player are the Knicks doing their utmost to protect?

Trade talks between the New York Knicks and Utah Jazz have gotten ... Grime-y.

Per Tony Jones of The Athletic, the Knicks are doing their utmost to keep Quentin Grimes out of any deal that would send Utah star Donovan Mitchell back to his home state. They've reportedly tried to appease the Jazz's reportedly picky desires with a plethora of primary draft selections but Utah really wants Grimes in Salt Lake City.

"The No. 1 player that the Jazz want in the deal is Quentin Grimes (and) I get the sense that the Jazz are really hesitant to do a deal that doesn't have Quentin Grimes in it," Jones said in an interview with ESPN 700 (KALL). "The one player that (the Knicks) are trying not to put in the deal is Quentin Grimes. They don't want Quentin Grimes in the deal under any circumstance."

Grimes arrived in New York as a first-round pick (25th overall) in the 2021 draft and averaged 6.0 points and 2.0 assists over 46 games (6 starts). Injuries prevented Grimes from making a sizable impact in his debut season but he enjoyed a breakout effort during the Knicks' runner-up effort during Summer League play in Las Vegas. The Houston alum led all Knicks summer scorers at a 22.6 average over their five games in Sin City, earning post-tournament accolades for his efforts. That showcase appears to have given the Knicks confidence that he could back up RJ Barrett at the three.

In lieu of Grimes, the Knicks instead appear willing to include another first-round choice, 2020's Obi Toppin, in the deal. While Toppin could perhaps make up for the interior production lost with the rebuilding Jazz's trade of Rudy Gobert, Jones believes that Utah won't budge until it gets Grimes, whom he refers to as a "major sticking point" at this point in the negotiations.

The Mitchell trade has hit a relative holding pattern, as Utah continues to do its due diligence on potential suitors.