Getty Quentin Grimes #6 of the New York Knicks takes a three-point shot as Coby White #0 of the Chicago Bulls defends.
After keeping Quentin Grimes off the table in their Donovan Mitchell pursuit, the New York Knicks are ready to give him up.
According to The Athletic’s Fred Katz, Grimes is likely the next Knick young player to go after RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.
“The Knicks are actively fielding offers for the former first-round pick, according to rival executives who have been in contact with New York’s front office,” Katz wrote on January 16.
Grimes has fallen out of favor since he publicly griped about his lack of touches when he was a starter. Yet his demotion to the second unit and the departures of Barrett and Quickley, which allowed him to have a bigger offensive role, is not yielding the desired result.
The 23-year-old Grimes will be extension-eligible this offseason. The Knicks plan to flip him, along with Evan Fournier’s $18.9 million salary, for a facilitator who can play behind or next to Brunson and on an attractive deal they could still include in the package for a star this summer.
Quentin Grimes Previously Linked to the Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks coveted Grimes in the Cam Reddish deal. But the Knicks did not give him up. Instead, the Hawks settled for Kevin Knox and a protected first-round pick. It is unclear if Grimes could replace Quickley in a potential Dejounte Murray deal. The Hawks previously sought Quickley and a first-round pick in Murray trade talks with the Knicks.
“It’s no guarantee the Knicks trade Grimes before Feb. 8. No deal is imminent, according to team sources. 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,” Katz wrote.
Hawks Eye to Shed Unwanted Salary in Dejounte Murray Deal
According to The Athletic’s John Hollinger, a former front-office executive with the Memphis Grizzlies, the Hawks plan to attach Clint Capela or De’Andre Hunter in any potential Murray deal to clean their books.
“League sources say the Hawks have had continued chatter on potential Murray deals,” Hollinger wrote on January 14. “Some will tell you they’re getting close to the finish line, while others will say the Hawks are still on a fishing expedition to determine the trade value for him and other key players (such as Hunter and Capela).
The overly optimistic extensions for Capela (one more year left at $22.2 million) and Hunter (three years left after this one for a total of $70 million) also have handcuffed the Hawks’ team-building. Part of the appeal of trading Murray just months after he agreed to a four-year, $114 million extension is that his contract could be the bait to stuff Capela or especially Hunter into a deal.
On the other hand, there’s little chance they get anything close to what they gave up to acquire him.”
The Knicks can theoretically trade Fournier plus two first-round picks or Fournier, Grimes and a first-round pick for Murray alone. But attaching Capela or Hunter would mean the Knicks need to add another matching salary. The only matching salaries that could fit would be that of Mitchell Robinson or Donte DiVincenzo.