The Dallas Mavericks rocked the NBA world with their decisions at the 2024 February trade deadline.
The Luka Doncic trade was a seismic NBA move that will still be being discussed in 10 years time.
One player on the Dallas Mavericks who was still digesting the move was Quentin Grimes, when he got a call to inform him he was being traded away too.
Grimes was sent to the Philadelphia 76ers in a deal that saw the team acquire Caleb Martin. It was a deal made for financial purposes, which required the Mavs to reach out to the league for a ‘trade modification’ amid injury complications for Martin.
The trade might backfire on both teams, with Grimes now too good for a team that might need to tank, and the Mavs losing the better player.
Quentin Grimes was not expecting to be traded away at the time. He gave an interview shortly after the Luka Doncic trade expressing his surprise.
Little did he know, within 48 hours he would be traded too. Even Anthony Davis was surprised, he mentioned Grimes in an early interview when discussing the depth on the Mavs roster.
Speaking about his own trade to the Sixers, Grimes has told Hoops Hype: “I was kind of shocked a little bit, knowing how well I had been playing for that team and contributing.
“We had a really good group of guys, and we had a really good bond with each other, so it was initially a shock.”
Grimes was praised by Klay Thompson early in the season, and he has made a positive early impression in Philadelphia.
On March 1, Grimes delivered a stunning 44 points performance to take the Sixers to a surprise win over the Warriors.
Quentin Grimes offered more thoughts on the Dallas Mavericks’ heavily discussed decision to trade away Luka Doncic.
And he says he feels sorry for the fans of his former team, knowing full well what the superstar meant to them.
Grimes said: “It was crazy. He was obviously dealing with his injury the past month. It was one of the biggest shocking trades in NBA history when that happened. You feel for the Dallas fans because Luka is a mega star worldwide.
“It was crazy seeing him getting traded. I felt for Mavericks fans, knowing that he was such a big part of not only the organization but the Dallas community as a whole.”
Mavericks CEO Rick Welts has admitted he misunderestimated the backlash to trading away Doncic, while General Manager Nico Harrison has come in for heavy criticism.
But this season’s tale is not done yet, with Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford all set tor return from injuries. Veteran former star Kevin Garnett believes it is an under-discussed part of the narrative right now, and Mavs fans can only be patient to see how it pans out.
