"I’m Really Happy Here in Philly": Quentin Grimes Talks Transition from Mavericks to 76ers, Luka Doncic Relationship, and More [EXCLUSIVE]

When Quentin Grimes entered the 2024-25 season, he focused on filling an essential role for the Dallas Mavericks — a team coming off its first NBA Finals appearance since winning the championship in 2011. With talents like Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, Grimes could complement some of the league’s best scorers and playmakers while being trusted to handle the ball and make plays more than ever.

Although his tenure with the Mavericks was short, Grimes made the most of his 47 games. He averaged 10.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 22.8 minutes per game, often taking on the most challenging defensive backcourt assignments while being one of the top complementary offensive players. When Dončić or Irving was sidelined, Dallas put more on his plate and took full advantage.

“I definitely was blessed for what Coach Kidd and them put me through early on, Dallas giving me the ball and having me be able to be playmaker with the ball and off the ball whenever it was Kyrie starting or Luka was out or something like that,” Grimes told Sportskeeda. “It was kind of an early Indication — I didn't expect it was going to happen here, but it definitely got me ready to get more comfortable with the ball once I got to here to Philly.

It’s never easy to be traded, but Grimes had one of the more interesting days in recent memory regarding the experience of actually being traded. Preparing to play the Philadelphia 76ers, he fully participated in shootaround with his Mavericks teammates at Wells Fargo Center. He was ready to play but was traded to the team he was supposed to play that night in their arena.

“It was kind of a crazy day,” Grimes said about being traded. “I didn't really expect it to happen, like in Philly, going to the team that you're in the city and then by the team you're about to play. Everything kind of worked out for me in a sense of like, it was just a crazy day, but you know, it was a good thing, for sure.

The reality of a potential trade was more of a realization of Grimes's circumstances than being alerted in advance. Once Dončić was traded, all possibilities were on the table. He mentioned that after his final shootaround with the Mavericks, he received the call informing him that he was being traded to the 76ers.

“I think once we saw Luka got traded, it was kind of like everybody's up for grabs,” Grimes said. “So I think once we've seen that happen, it was kind of just to be ready to come in and came with the mindset of playing fleet that thing and then got the call right when I got back from shooting around. But it all worked out.”

While Grimes’ tenure with the Mavericks — and that version of the team altogether — is in the past, he felt the group was a championship team had the front office given them time to get healthy and build long-term together.

“Definitely a championship,” Grimes said. “We never really got to see the team fully healthy at. What was it, like 10 or 12 games? We were like the number one team in the league or something like that. That's in the past. Now it's all a what if, what could have been scenario, but we definitely had a chance to win it all with that group.”

During his tenure with the Mavericks, Grimes frequently sought opportunities to learn from his star teammates, whether doing shooting drills with Klay Thompson or observing what makes Dončić or Irving great. He has lasting relationships with his former teammates.

Grimes described Dončić, Irving, and Thompson as “first-class professionals” who work “extremely hard every single day,” despite the frequent leaks from the Mavericks organization about concerns about Dončić’s habits.

“[Luka] was great. Him, Kai, and Klay were first-class professionals come in, head down, work extremely hard every single day,” Grimes said.

Playing alongside Dončić was an experience that Grimes appreciated. Although Grimes logged 21 games next to the Slovenian superstar, it was more than enough to appreciate the dynamic balance of scoring talent and passing ability.

“With a guy like [Luka], it makes your job easier out there on the court,” Grimes said of Dončić. “Now you got a quarterback like that who's going to command so much attention, can hit anybody, make any pass up on the floor, make any shot really as well.”

Although the trade shocked Dončić, Grimes has maintained contact with his former Mavericks teammate and understands that his early Lakers tenure is going “really well.”

“Playing with him was a blessing,” Grimes said of Dončić. “I've talked to him a couple of times since the trade and stuff like that. We definitely keep in touch. I think he's doing really well over there with the Lakers. I'm definitely wishing him all the best and all the success over there with LA.”

The timing of Grimes’ arrival in Philadelphia has come during a period when many key players are sidelined due to injuries, including Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Jared McCain. Despite the circumstances, Grimes has thrived, averaging 19.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.5 steals through 15 games played. He’s registered four games with 30 or more points, including a career-high 44-point outburst in a victory against the Golden State Warriors.

Under head coach Nick Nurse, Grimes has felt the freedom to play through mistakes while making as aggressive plays as he’s ever had the opportunity to do in his NBA career. This has led to him already having more than twice as many 30-point games with Philadelphia as he had in his previous NBA career.

“To give me a lot of freedom with the ball, a lot of opportunity to go out there, play my game, be ultra aggressive on the offensive end, whether it's making a play for myself and my teammates,” Grimes said. “That confidence boost from the coaches gives me even more confidence to go out there and kind of play carefree and play through some mistakes out there.”

It often takes time for a player to adjust to a new organization, but it'd be an understatement to say that Grimes has hit the ground running in Philadelphia. Preexisting relationships have only helped. In 2018, Grimes won a gold medal with Tyrese Maxey on the United States' U18 team at FIBA Americas. As a Houston native, he already knew Kelly Oubre Jr. and played pickup in the summertime with Eric Gordon.

“It actually was a good thing because I knew about three or four of the guys I already, [Kelly Oubre Jr.] from Houston. [Eric Gordon] from Coach Sampson, he's in Houston during the summertime, we play pick up all the time. Tyrese [Maxey] won a gold medal with him. [Joel Embiid] has been great,” Grimes said. “Being here, everybody's been great to welcome me, just telling me go out there, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot the ball whenever you get it, so having those guys just kind of welcome me right away was definitely a big, big confidence boost.”

As Grimes continues to play out the remainder of the season, he’s taking it game-by-game and is embracing being put in different roles. He understands the importance of remaining aggressive offensively, even when tasked with spending time at point guard. Regardless, he remains focused on doing the dirty work defensively but has a lot of fun with the process next to his new teammates.

“Going there with the mindset to come in with an attack mode, doing the right thing to help the team win, whether that's playing point guard, making the right play for myself or my teammates scoring 40 if I need to to help the team win, and stuff like that, like I did,” Grimes said. “It's definitely been fun playing with a lot of these guys that I kind of already had relationships, but just taking it game, game by game, Staying in attack mode all the time, trying to get as many wins as we can.”

Throughout the early portion of His career, Grimes was known as a 3-and-D player, but he’s clearly shown this season that he’s capable of far more than that. He worked diligently on his ball handling, shot creation, and playmaking, entering his first season with the Mavericks knowing he’d have the runway to utilize those skills. A significant focus has been placed on his daily habits, designed to get the most out of himself as consistently as possible.

“I think just like consistency, putting a lot of work in on my body, watching what I eat, what I do on off days, whether it's lifting or getting extra shots, really listening to my body if I need to get extra shots and need extra treatment [I do it]," Grimes said. "I've worked on my ball handling, even more coming into Dallas, knowing I would have a lot of opportunity to have the ball in my hands.”

It’s too early to predict the future or make bold commitments, but Grimes has enjoyed his 76ers experience thus far. This time with the organization will help him navigate his future when dealing with restricted free agency this summer.

“I feel I have a really great relationship here with Philly,” Grimes said. “I'm loving everything that's been going on so far with the coaching staff, training staff, players. I'm really happy here in Philly. Going into the offseason, that'll take care of itself. I have to handle stuff when it gets there, but I'm loving myself right now in Philly.”

If the 76ers secure Grimes long-term, he could be a steal as a trade return. He has all the makings of a strong complementary talent, playing next to Maxey in the backcourt while supporting George and Embiid.