There were eight minutes left, and Quentin Grimes had been playing well but sparingly.
Again.
With the Knicks leading by six against the Magic on MLK Day, Miles McBride committed a turnover — one that didn’t appear to have anything to do with Grimes — and Tom Thibodeau reacted by summoning Julius Randle to replace Grimes.
Clearly frustrated after just a four-minute shift, Grimes ran past the Knicks bench and beelined into the Garden tunnel. Replays showed Grimes returning about a minute later and sitting near the end of the bench, where he absorbed the rest of a 98-94 defeat.
He played 14 total minutes with eight points, then left the locker room before the media was allowed inside.
It became another example of Grimes’ situation in New York gone awry and his frustration bubbling.
Despite the front office’s hopes of rectifying the Grimes conundrum by dealing RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, Thibodeau hasn’t found extra minutes for his 23-year-old 3-and-D wing.
Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart and even McBride have benefitted the most from the Quickley and Barrett departures. After scoring 11 points in 16:43 in Wednesday’s win over the Rockets, Grimes actually is averaging fewer minutes since the trade (just 17.4 per game vs. 20.5 per game before the trade).
The Knicks, per sources, are aware of Grimes’ frustration and are actively trying to move him before the Feb. 8 trade deadline.
With the unlikelihood of a blockbuster deal materializing until the summer, the Knicks, according to teams negotiating with New York, are focused on acquiring a ballhandler (McBride has impressed, but is viewed more as an undersized two-guard) and a big man because, among other reasons, Mitchell Robinson’s near future remains in flux.
There’s also a willingness, per sources, to take on multi-year deals that could be packaged in a later blockbuster.
A source said the Mavericks have expressed interest in Grimes. The Hawks, who are positioned to be active before the trade deadline, would be a strong fit if they trade Dejounte Murray. There is no shortage of teams looking for plug-and-play 3-and-D wings.
Grimes certainly was valuable for the Knicks last season, when he replaced Evan Fournier in the starting lineup and helped the franchise to its first playoff series win in a decade.
He averaged 30 minutes in 71 regular-season appearances, dropped 27 points in the Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star weekend and was picked for the Team USA Select squad in the summer.
But the good vibes deteriorated pretty quickly this season. The obvious reason is the Knicks acquired DiVincenzo to play the same position. There’s also speculation that Thibodeau soured on Grimes for sitting out the last two games in the playoff series against the Cavaliers because of a shoulder injury.
Grimes held the starting spot from the beginning of this training camp into the regular season, but minutes and opportunities were down immediately.
He finally unloaded his frustration to the media in early December, and was promptly moved to the bench because it was seen as a better chance for offensive creativity away from the ball-dominant starters (specifically Jalen Brunson, Randle and Barrett).
Though Grimes had some encouraging games off the bench, he never recovered the minutes or production from last season. It wasn’t the solution he or the Knicks had hoped.
DiVincenzo played well as the starter and has the advantage of a natural connection with Brunson, his former college roommate. Hart has been a roller coaster, but regardless of his shooting adventures (or misadventures), Thibodeau sees the value in the forward’s size and rebounding.
Grimes was supposed to adopt Quickley’s role after the trade. That also didn’t happen. Grimes’ frustration began to affect his defense, which is normally his bread-and-butter.
So here we are.
An underlying issue here is (surprise, surprise) money and cap space. Grimes is eligible for a contract extension after this season, and backups playing 17 minutes don’t tend to make much. It’s a big reason the Knicks unloaded Quickley, who is hitting restricted free agency in the summer with eyes on a $125 million deal.
That’s worked out for Quickley — at least thus far — because the Raptors seem willing to build around him, Scottie Barnes and Barrett.
Hart’s $81 million deal in the summer reset the market in New York. If he can get $20 million per year at 28 years old, certainly it’s reasonable for Grimes to expect that money from the franchise that drafted him and held onto him tightly during the Donovan Mitchell trade negotiations.
Now they’re ready to let go of the grip.
Two ideas for Grimes trades
Here are two purely speculative trade ideas involving Grimes:
Knicks get: Clint Capela
Hawks get: Grimes and Fournier
Why does this make sense? The Hawks are trying to restructure their team around Trae Young and get off Capela’s money, which is guaranteed next season at more than $22 million. They add a defensive-minded guard next to Young in Grimes and send Fournier into 2024 free agency by declining his team option. The Knicks get a top-level rim-protecting center as Robinson returns from surgery and Isaiah Hartenstein hits free agency.
Knicks get: Kyle Lowry and Haywood Highsmith
Heat get: Grimes and Fournier
Why does this make sense? Thibodeau loves Lowry and certainly would covet his veteran presence in the playoffs. Grimes in a Heat uniform just seems to work.
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Memory lane
With Barrett and Quickley returning to the Garden on Saturday for the first time as opponents, I present you their respective top three moments as Knicks:
Barrett
1. Jan. 6, 2022: Game-winning buzzer beater vs. Celtics
In an otherwise disappointing season, Knicks recovered from a 25-point deficit to defeat a championship contender. Barrett was mobbed by teammates and fans for banking in a 3-point winner at MSG.
2. May 10, 2023: Game 5 win over the Heat
It wasn’t just Barrett’s production in this particular game. It was a culmination of a redemptive 2023 playoff performance from the forward, who was probably the Knicks’ second-best player of the postseason after Jalen Brunson. In the Game 5 victory, Barrett was a team-best +17 with 26 points and seven rebounds.
3. Sept. 1, 2022: Signs four-year, $107 million contract extension
A bit of a weird day because Donovan Mitchell was dealt to the Cavaliers a couple hours earlier and the Knicks had dangled Barrett in their own trade negotiations. But in the end, Barrett became the first Knicks first-round pick to sign an extension since Charlie Ward. Just a couple months into that extension, he was gone.
Quickley
1. March 4, 2023: Double-OT win vs. Celtics
With Brunson hurt, Quickley got the ball and ran with it while leading the Knicks to a thrilling victory that capped a nine-game winning streak. Quickley put up ridiculous numbers: 55 minutes, 38 points, seven assists, eight rebounds, four steals and just one turnover.
2. Jan. 29, 2021: Win vs. Cavaliers
As a late-first-round pick, Quickley’s NBA future wasn’t clear until he started reeling off high-scoring performance fairly quickly (pun intended) into his rookie campaign. This game included 25 points, five treys and a swimming celebration after a 4-point play. It was bracketed by a 31-point effort five nights earlier and another 25-point game two nights later. The Knicks knew they had a player.
3. March 27, 2023: Win vs. Rockets
Quickley was on a roll at this point and dropped a career-best 40 points on a ridiculous 14-for-18 from the field. The Rockets stunk, but this solidified his candidacy for Sixth Man of the Year. Quickley added nine assists in his 30 minutes. A dominant performance.
