Should the Atlanta Hawks Consider Adding Quentin Grimes?

The Atlanta Hawks made a ton of moves this offseason that got a lot of praise. However, it's interesting that general manager Onsi Saleh did not add any players that can realistically run the offense in the absence of Trae Young, The Hawks have always been dependent on Young's playmaking to maintain consistent offensive production. It's why he's led the NBA in AST% for each of the past two seasons.

One could argue that this style of basketball is ultimately what places a hold on the Hawks' ceiling. Whether that's true or not, it's almost inarguable that putting so many miles on Young's body is fraught with risk. Young had a down shooting season last year in no small part due to dealing with lingering Achilles tendinits during every game. He managed to battle through it, but there's no question that he would have been better if his tendinitis wasn't constantly being re-aggravated.

Considering that the Hawks have such a dearth of true ball-handlers, it wouldn't be the worst idea to look into trades that give Atlanta a solution towards that.

What about Quentin Grimes?

The 24 year-old guard has already been on four different teams, but he seized his opportunity on a depleted Philadelphia 76ers team last season. He averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists across the 28 games he played for the 76ers after being acquired in the Caleb Martin trade. Quite frankly, he looked like a star during that run because of how efficient he was. He shot 37.3% from deep on a staggering 7.9 attempts per game. Grimes wasn't just a scorer - he also posted an AST% of 22.7%. For some reference, Jalen Johnson posted an AST% of 20.5% and he's widely seen as the second-best passer on the Hawks. Some of Grimes' numbers are inflated by playing with bench units and getting so many touches, but this was an extremely impressive stretch for the former Houston guard.

Grimes also proved that he can be a positive defender despite the 76ers having a quality defense. He racked up 1.5 steals per game during his run with Philly and did a great job of cutting off passing lanes. More impressively, he did this against the lead ball-handler on most nights.

Therefore, it shouldn't be a surprise that he's trying to cash in on a new deal. Unfortunately, he's a restricted free agent and the 76ers have a ton of control in the negotiations. Grimes appears to leverage the little bit of control he does have, though. Per ESPN's Shams Charania, both sides are still "very far apart" in getting a deal done.

If the situation becomes untenable for Philly, would the Hawks entertain the possibility of a sign-and-trade? There are a few salary cap rules to deal with, but it's theoretically doable if Saleh decided to go in that direction.

The Contract: 3 years, $51 million ($17 million per year, player option on the final year of deal)

Grimes reportedly values himself as a $20 million per year player, but the Hawks could likely cut that down to $17 million if they were offering a long-term commitment. Philly might be wary of doing this type of contract because they already have a really crowded backcourt with Jared McCain, Tyrese Maxey and the 3rd overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, VJ Edgecombe. Their roster is very small and doesn't really have the size to compete for a NBA championship.

Due to the Base Year Compensation rules of the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, Grimes getting at least a 20% raise and being traded to a team above the salary cap will mean that he counts as 50% less outgoing salary as incoming salary. For example, if he gets a $17 million sign-and-trade contract, he'd count as $8.5 million on Philly's books. Therefore, the deal would need to re-route around $8.5 million in salary to the 76ers.

Here's one possible framework for a sign-and-trade deal that includes a third team (the Utah Jazz) to make the salaries and team needs work. This deal cannot be officially completed until October 2nd due to Eric Gordon's contract.

It should be noted that this is just a speculative and fun exercise to see what kind of moves can be made, not what I think the Hawks or any other teams should do or will do. That is all.

Hawks Receive: Walker Kessler, 2027 1st-round pick (via LAL, protected 1-4, from UTA), Quentin Grimes

Jazz Receive: Onyeka Okongwu, Eric Gordon, 2027 2nd-round pick (via GSW/PHX), 2029 1st-round pick (via ATL, top-5 protected)

76ers Receive: Svi Mykhailiuk, Kyle Filipowski, Vit Krejci, 2032 2nd round pick (via ATL)

For the Hawks, they'd be losing a good backup center on a cost-controlled contract in Okongwu. However, they are getting two extremely additive players in Kessler and Grimes. Kessler is one of the better rim protectors in the league, posting a BLK% of 7.4% and a staggering 2.4 blocks per game. He made massive strides as a rebounder, recording a league-leading OREB% of 16.6% last year while continuing to end possessions as an intimidating defensive rebounder. He's a good rim-runner who can play off a talented passer like Young in the pick-and-roll. The Hawks could legitimately go to a double-big lineup with Kessler and Porzingis while effectively being able to swallow up anything at the rim. It'd be somewhat similar to the look the OKC Thunder had with Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren. Grimes would be a really intriguing fit as a bench player/occasional starter for the Hawks. He can oscilate between SG or SF, run offense in Young's absence and help Atlanta's lineups with his spacing.

Utah gets Okongwu on a very reasonable deal, which gives them a little bit more offensive structure and a talented big man for their collection of young talent to work with. They also get a potentially juicy 2029 first-round pick that is lightly protected from the Hawks.

Philly can make this deal work on their books because they are only getting back $9 million in salary after trading both Gordon and Grimes. They add a intriguing wing in Krejci who's shown some juice as a ball-handler and defender to step into a temporary role while Jared McCain recovers from injury. Mykhailiuk can also play a role in a thin wing room for the 76ers. However, the real prize is Fillipowski. He took home Summer League MVP honors after averaging 29.3 points per contest over three games while adding 7.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He shot 56.1% from the field and 39.1% from 3-point range. The problem for the Jazz is that they don't really have a role for him because he doesn't pair well with Markkanen or Kessler. Fillipowski also isn't a great defender, which is a problem because Utah's defense is already lackluster. In Philly, he'd either be able to play off of Joel Embiid or Paul George, who are both more offensively versatile than Kessler or Markkannen. There's also chemistry between Fillipowsi and McCain from their time at Duke. The 76ers are quietly trying to get younger and Fillipowski is excellent insurance for life after Joel Embiid, who just can't be relied upon to stay healthy.

It may not be the most obvious move for the Hawks to take, but there's a pathway towards them landing Grimes if they wanted. However, the more likely course of action is for them to be watching out how Grimes' contract disputes plays out like everyone else.

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