Quentin Grimes Draws Dubious Comparison to Former Knicks Starter

Getty Quentin Grimes draws a rough comparison.

There are a lot of details and tidbits coming out about the failed Donovan Mitchell trade now that everything has become official, and not everyone is happy with how the New York Knicks handled things.

The Jazz coveted both RJ Barrett and Quentin Grimes in a deal, but the Knicks fought to keep both of them out of the same deal. That meant they built a package around one or the other, but never both. It’s not clear what ultimately led to the Cavaliers trade, but it’s still a tough pill to swallow for fans as the Knicks definitely had what it took to pull off a trade.

In the aftermath, fans and media alike are left wondering exactly what happened, and Mitchell himself makes it sound like there’s more to the story.

HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto compared the Grimes situation to another trade situation, but one that actually went through and got the Knicks Carmelo Anthony.

Grimes Compared to Timofey Mozgov

A name Knicks fan probably didn’t expect to hear ever again was used in the same sentence as Grimes by Scotto.

Timofey Mozgov was a point of contention at one point in the Anthony deal that brought the former Nuggets star to New York, and looking back on it, it’s tough to imagine why that was ever the case.

“With the Knicks haggling over Quentin Grimes, it reminded me a little bit of when Cleveland didn’t want to trade JJ Hickson (for Amar’e Stoudemire) and Timofey Mozgov when he was with the Knicks (for Carmelo Anthony),” Scotto said.

Grimes was a late first-round pick who averaged six points per game last season, but he ended up being a major hang up in a deal that would’ve brought Mitchell to New York. Increasingly, we’ve seen teams value their young players over established ones, one notable example being Sixers fans fighting to keep Tyrese Maxey over acquiring Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets.

Hickson was never anywhere near as good as Stoudemire, and the same goes for Mozgov’s career when compared to Anthony’s. A lot of fans like to hope their youngster blossoms into something great instead of grabbing somebody who’s good now, and it can lead to some tough decisions. Grimes could very well become a star, but will he ever be as good as Mitchell is right now?

Knicks Will Find Out

While the scoring isn’t there yet, the Knicks have a lot to like about Grimes. He’s already a good defender, which is always a good thing in a Tom Thibodeau system, and that could be what leads him to becoming a starter.

There’s already a movement of sorts starting where fans want to see Grimes in the starting lineup over Evan Fournier, and while that might not be the case to start the season, there’s a possibility it could happen at some point.

If Grimes can up his scoring average to double digits, it will become harder and harder for Fournier to remain a starter for the team, especially if they are struggling again like last season.