The Jazz are reportedly coveting Quentin Grimes over other young Knicks in possible Donovan Mitchell deal

Quentin Grimes absolutely took over Summer League in July. The second-year guard came with the mindset to dominate, looking to flash a wide array of new moves as he looked to prove himself as more than just a 3-and-D player. And he did just that. Grimes showed a much improved ability to get into the lane. When he did, he was able to finish creatively and get his teammates some great looks. And because of that, we’ve been raving about him and even questioning if he should be the day one starter in the backcourt. So it was no surprise to hear from Tony Jones of the Athletic, that if a Donovan Mitchell trade were to go down between the Jazz and the Knicks, Grimes is the piece the Jazz covet the most.

Grimes may not currently scream superstar, but between the solid performance last season and the glimpses he showed this summer, there may be belief that Grimes could end up being better than many originally expected. And with a defensively-gifted shooter like Grimes, his floor will always be high. Even if Grimes’ progressions slows, you already have a knock down shooter who will hustle and play very solid defense. Grimes (22) also has the added benefit of being younger than both Immanuel Quickley (23) and Obi Toppin (24), the two other young pieces that have been floated around in trade rumors, and also has an additional year of team control.

But the Knicks obviously see in Grimes everything the Jazz do and Jones reported that they have been unwilling to part ways with him going as far as to say that, “the one player they are trying to not put in this deal is [Grimes]”. This also comes as no surprise. The Knicks liked Grimes so much that they were content with trading down in the draft to snag him. And as we’ve discussed previously, Grimes offers the type of defense coach Thibodeau loves. He provides the kind of shooting necessary to supplement a lineup that consists of guys like Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett. This Grimes dilemma is most likely one of the biggest reasons the talks between the two teams have stalled and have reportedly not spoken in over two weeks.

Danny Ainge and the Jazz currently have a price point they’d like another team to match, one that must include Grimes. Unfortunately for them, the Knicks have so far been unwilling to match that price point. Leon Rose seems to know that the Jazz don’t have many other real offers on the table. A year ago, if you told Knicks fans that Grimes may eventually end up being the key to if a Mitchell trade happens or not, it may have sounded absurd, but that is where we seem to be at right now. Either one of these teams budges on their stance regarding the young shooting guard or a deal may not happen at all.