After some smoke over the weekend that the Dallas Mavericks and key reserve Quentin Grimes were discussing a contract extension, the sides failed to come to an agreement before Monday evening’s 6 p.m. EST deadline. Monday was the last opportunity for teams to extend first-round picks from the 2021 NBA Draft, meaning Grimes will enter restricted free agency following the season.
Grimes had a productive preseason, and the Mavericks likely wanted to lock him into a deal before he potentially raised his value. He struggled in his third season after battling various injuries but was a good player the year before that with the New York Knicks, averaging a career-high PPG and three-point percentage.
Dallas acquired Grimes this offseason from the Detroit Pistons, getting him in exchange for the bloated salary of Tim Hardaway Jr. and three second-round picks. That move opened up the midlevel exception to sign Naji Marshall and gave them a trade exception to bring in Klay Thompson in that sign-and-trade.
Grimes is likely wanting to bet on himself after an injury-riddled third season. He wants to prove he can be a valuable asset to a winning team and sign a bigger contract. Marc Stein reported earlier on Monday that the two sides were far apart in negotiations, with both sides seeing the pros and cons of getting a deal done before the season.
Any potential deal likely would’ve been around the deal that Josh Green signed with Dallas before he was traded, three years, $41 million, but the Golden State Warriors signed Moses Moody to a three-year, $39 million deal this weekend, and Grimes is a better player than Moody.
Dallas will still have the opportunity to match any contract Grimes is offered next offseason with his restricted free agency. His upside as a 3&D guard will be valuable if he stays healthy and plays as well as they think he can.
While they couldn’t come to terms with Grimes, they were able to lock in Jaden Hardy on a three-year deal on Monday. Marc Stein reported differences in a three-year deal that was too far apart to bridge for Grimes.
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