Knicks 'Quickly Rejected' Quentin Grimes Trade With Old Enemy

Quentin Grimes' future with the New York Knicks has been a major talking point at this trade deadline.

The New York Knicks had no time for Quentin Grimes negotiations with the Dallas Mavericks.

New York management has been forced to deal with a passive-aggressive war with the Mavericks, who infamously passed on Western Conference Play-In Tournament contention to keep the first-round pick due to the Knicks as part of the Kristaps Porzingis deal from 2019. Dallas also harbors a grudge against the Knicks for tampering with Jalen Brunson's free agency negotiations, which led to an investigation that cost New York a second-round pick.

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All that and more, however, reportedly hasn't stopped the Knicks from dealing with the Mavericks again, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Post says that the two sides discussed a potential deal involving the young depth star Grimes. But Bondy followed up by saying the Knicks soundly rejected whatever Dallas was offering, keeping Grimes in blue-and-orange for the time being.

"He’s been frustrated with his role even after the Knicks cleared some of their guard glut by dealing Immanuel Quickley," Bondy reported. "The Mavericks showed interest, but their package was quickly turned down by the Knicks, a source said."

With Quickley and RJ Barrett traded to Toronto in the deal that acquired OG Anunoby, Grimes is perhaps the Knicks' most tradeable asset beyond their expansive draft pick cabinet. As hinted upon in Bondy's report, Grimes has struggled to find playing time even with Quickley gone, though he played at least 20 in each of his last five before enduring a knee injury in Jan. 30's win over Utah. Grimes has missed each of the last three games with the ailment, though questions about his future will likely linger until Thursday's final transactional hour. 

Quentin Grimes Disgruntled With Thibodeau, Knicks Role?

New York management has been very protective of Grimes, a first-round pick from the 2021 draft. He began the year as the Knicks' primary shooting guard but he has since been usurped by Donte DiVincenzo. Grimes had found some sort of rhythm prior to his injury, averaging 12.7 points on just over 44 percent from the floor.

Ironically enough, the Knicks face the Mavericks on Thursday night in the first post-deadline game for both sides (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT).