Hawks, Rockets, Grizzlies, Jazz Showing Interest in Knicks Guard

Getty Ja Morant dribbling by Quentin Grimes.

The New York Knicks are fielding calls on young shooting guard Quentin Grimes. Their current rotation has some redundancy and Grimes is the one who, unfortunately, has fallen out of the rotation.

With Grimes available, teams have started to show interest in the former No. 25 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. According to Ian Begley of SNY, four teams have interest.

“The Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets are among the teams with interest in the 23-year-old shooting guard.”

Begley adds that he’s uncertain if the Knicks will pull the trigger on Grimes, but there’s interest for him on the market. With the production that he’s given the Knicks outside of this year and the fact that he’s on a cheap deal, it’s understandable why teams have interest.

“I don’t know if the Knicks will ultimately pull the trigger on a deal involving Grimes, but he has value on the market, and it may be in both parties’ best interest to find a trade. One of the Knicks’ objectives at the deadline is to bolster their bench, and Grimes is one of the most valuable trade-eligible players on their roster.”

Knicks Would Likely Trade Quentin Grimes With Someone Else

If the New York Knicks do end up moving Grimes before the deadline, it’d almost certainly be paired with another player. That would most likely be Evan Fournier as the guard hasn’t found his way into the rotation for most of his time in New York.

The nearly $19 million expiring Fournier contract and a cheap Grimes contract could get back a decent player, one who can help the struggling Knicks bench.

Fred Katz of The Athletic reported that Grimes is the single young player who the Knicks could throw into a deal.

“After the Anunoby trade, Grimes is the sole young player the Knicks could throw into a deadline deal. Thus, if they traded Grimes, they would want someone on a contract they consider tradeable in return, a player with a salary preferably in the teens or low $20 million that would be attractive to a franchise dealing away a star in June or July, according to league sources. The Knicks could pair Evan Fournier — who is on an expiring, $18.9 million contract — with Grimes to bring back a contract of that size.”

New York Knicks Trade Targets

With the Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies, and Houston Rockets interested in Grimes, the Knicks now have the job of finding a player on one of those four teams to help them.

The Jazz would ideally be the best fit as the team can return Collin Sexton in a potential deal with them, but it’s unlikely that a deal around Grimes will get that done. If the Knicks do add draft capital, Utah could think about moving Sexton in this type of deal. With all of the assets that New York has draft capital-wise, using some of it to add a player of Sexton’s caliber is a possibility.

Bruce Brown, Malcolm Brogdon, and Terry Rozier are three names that the Knicks have reported interest in, among others.