The Los Angeles Lakers have been making moves this offseason, much to the pleasure of ex-Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic. L.A. gets Luka's A1 big man in Walker Kessler, and they also steal another ex-Maverick that former general manager Nico Harrison made a big mistake with.
Former Mavericks guard Quentin Grimes agreed to a four-year, $60 million deal with the Lakers, and now, Grimes and Doncic are reunited. It's weird how all the former Mavericks seem to be reuniting in L.A.: Doncic, Grimes, Maxi Kleber and Dorian Finney-Smith.
For Dallas, they could've afforded him. But more importantly, they need more bodies to fix their 3-point shooting woes. The Mavs could've used Grimes as a real piece to build on that, but now, he reunites with Doncic at the worst time for Dallas. The trade for Santi Aldama helps, but this was a wide-open hole the Mavs missed.
Ex-Maverick Quentin Grimes reunites with Luka Doncic in Los Angeles
It's so fitting that soon after Harrison traded Grimes, he put up a career-high 46 points with the Philadelphia 76ers. Many Mavs fans pointed at Harrison and said, "I told you so." They were already doing it with Doncic, of course, but Grimes never needed to be traded.
Grimes got traded for Caleb Martin, a tough veteran who can defend and provide a spark off the bench, but for Harrison to make that trade was malpractice to begin with.
Doncic now has his big man in Kessler, and a young 3-and-D monster who can play decent minutes and give you help on both sides of the ball. The Lakers losing Marcus Smart will hurt them, but Grimes is basically the replacement to fill that gap.
With Harrison and Jason Kidd out, and president Masai Ujiri to undo every mistake, Grimes was an unrestricted free agent, and the Mavs missed out. They need bucket-getters to help Cooper Flagg, and this was a missed opportunity that will have Mavs fans shaking their heads.
In the meantime, Doncic has the help he needs. Not only did the Lakers get Grimes, but they got Kessler, the "A-list" big man that the former Mavs superstar was looking for. The Lakers also got Sandro Mamukelashvili to play both sides of the ball. If he and Reaves can connect and make this Lakers team into a championship contender, that won't be good for Dallas for plenty of reasons.
It means that Doncic now holds the keys in L.A., and he has his guys to compete for an NBA title. In 2028, when he becomes a free agent, the Mavs are the only team that realistically has a shot to get him, but if he's happy with his new big three, it won't matter.
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