The Atlanta Hawks have not given up their exploration of ways to improve the roster, continuing to monitor the situation around Toronto Raptors star forward Pascal Siakam, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Toronto is currently two games below .500. Siakam, 29, is averaging 19.8 points on 54.7% true shooting.
Those are his worst numbers since 2018-19 and 2020-21, respectively.
However, Scotto also shed light on another non-Siakam trade target for the Hawks: New York Knicks guard Quentin Grimes.
“In years past, the Knicks shied away from including Grimes in trade talks with the Clippers for Paul George, the Bulls for Zach LaVine, the Jazz during Donovan Mitchell trade talks, and the Hawks, who also inquired about him,” Scotto wrote on November 29.
Grimes, 23, was the No. 25 overall pick of the draft in 2021. After a career year averaging 11.3 points on 61.9% true shooting in his second season, He is averaging 6.7 points on 53.5% true shooting this year. Grimes is a career 38.3% three-point shooter. He started 66 of 71 appearances last season and all 15 of his appearances this season.
Closing out the half with a Grimes trey 🎯 pic.twitter.com/HV4zMPTztQ
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) November 25, 2023
But his role was reduced following the Knicks’ trade for Josh Hart year.
The Knicks are 10-5 and would be the No. 5 seed if the playoffs began immediately. The Eastern Conference arms race is real, as the Hawks’ pursuit of Siakam proves.
Knicks' Quentin Grimes Could Still Help Hawks
While Grimes’ ability as a defender and a floor spacer would have helped the Hawks, Scotto does not specify exactly when the Hawks pursued him. The vague timeline could include an entirely different front office setup.
The Hawks have added Dejoute Murray via trade and Kobe Bufkin via the draft to the backcourt in back-to-back offseasons. They also have veterans Bogdan Bogdanovic and Wesley Matthews and second-year prospect AJ Griffin coming off the bench on the wings, though the latter has struggled to maintain a consistent role under head coach Quin Snyder.
Murray has also been slumping while Bufkin is working his way back from a fractured thumb and the Hawks’ perimeter defense continues to be leaky.
Grimes would help with that, adding an element of toughness to the group as well.
gotta love easy buckets @qdotgrimes pic.twitter.com/KgIsS1U5w5
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) November 16, 2023
The Hawks are 8-9 and have lost five of their last seven contests. Their struggles have been exacerbated by Jalen Johnson’s wrist injury that sidelined him for the last two games and will keep him out for the next month at least.
It might make more sense to give Griffin a shot at proving he can overcome whatever is keeping him from showing the same effectiveness he did to start his career. But there is still room for Grimes and what he brings.