Since being drafted with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks have had high expectations for shooting guard Quentin Grimes. However, with the current construction of the roster, the Knicks haven’t been able to maximize Grimes’ skillset. After the Knicks lost to the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, Grimes expressed his frustration.
“It’s just hard when you go the whole quarter without touching the ball… and then you get one shot and you got to make it,” Grimes told reporters after the loss. “So it’s tough going out there and just standing in the corner the whole game,” Grimes added.
Grimes’ scoring output from last season to this season has practically been cut in half, averaging 5.8 points per game compared to the 11.3 points per game he averaged last season. In the process, he has been ceding minutes to offseason acquisition Donte DiVincenzo, who has been productive in a bench role this season.
With Grimes airing out his frustrations publicly, reports have resurfaced regarding his availability in trade talks. The Knicks were firmly in the mix to acquire All-NBA guard Donovan Mitchell before he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, with Grimes being a reason why negotiations stalled.
The Knicks were enamored with Grimes to the extent that they reportedly made him “untouchable” in trade negotiations for Donovan Mitchell, per the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy.
Strangely, the Knicks were so reluctant to include Grimes in a trade that could’ve landed them a superstar guard in his prime given how they’ve used him since being so adamantly against trading him.
