Knicks Rumors: Quentin Grimes Drawing Trade Interest from Rockets, Hawks, More
January 20, 2024
Having already added OG Anunoby to their roster, the New York Knicks may not be done making moves ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline.
Per SNY's Ian Begley, Quentin Grimes has drawn interest from several teams, including the Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies.
Stefan Bondy of the New York Post previously reported the Dallas Mavericks are also interested in acquiring Grimes.
Grimes appears to have fallen out of favor with head coach Tom Thibodeau. The 23-year-old was a key rotation piece last season with 11.3 points per game on 38.6 percent three-point shooting in 71 appearances.
This season has seen Grimes' performance dip closer to where he was as a rookie in 2021-22. He's averaging 6.9 points on 37.9 percent three-point shooting in fewer than 20 minutes per game across 39 appearances.
Bondy noted New York's front office hoped moving RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley in the Anunoby trade would open up opportunities for Grimes, but Thibodeau hasn't been able to get him into games more often.
In 10 games since the trade, Grimes has only played more than 20 minutes twice. He did tie a season-high with 19 points on Jan. 5 against the Philadelphia 76ers, but that came in a 36-point win when the starters were out for most of the fourth quarter.
If the Knicks were to trade Grimes, Begley noted he would likely have to be one piece of a deal because his $2.3 million salary is difficult to move on its own.
Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers are among the teams interested in Bruce Brown Jr. after he was traded to the Toronto Raptors this week.
One likely option would involve putting Evan Fournier's $19 million expiring contract and draft picks in a package with Grimes to facilitate a deal.
Grimes' age and contract—his rookie deal runs through the 2024-25 season—makes him an attractive trade target, especially for teams brushing up against the luxury-tax aprons.
The Knicks sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 25-17 record. They are two games back in the loss column of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the No. 4 seed.