The Mavericks made a minor move before Sunday's free agency kicked off that could pay major dividends down the line.
Dallas has agreed to a trade with Detroit, acquiring young 3-and-D wing Quentin Grimes in exchange for Tim Hardaway Jr. and draft equity, as first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Here's how the deal looks for both sides.
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Mavericks-Pistons trade details
Mavericks acquire:
- Quentin Grimes
Pistons acquire:
- Tim Hardaway Jr.
- 2025 second-round pick (via TOR)
- Two 2028 second-round picks
Mavericks trade grade
Grimes is far from a star player, but he was a very solid spot starter for the Knicks. At age 24, he has room to get better. He's a tough defender who once defended Jimmy Butler on one leg in one of the team's most crucial playoff moments. He's also a reliable 3-point shooter, hitting 37.1 percent of his attempts for his career.
This is exactly the type of player that the Mavericks were missing in their Finals series against the Celtics. They have always needed 3-and-D players to put around Luka Doncic. Derrick Jones Jr. filled in admirably in that role, but he's not the shooting threat that Grimes is. This will give opposing teams one less place to hide their centers, forcing them to play Doncic straight-up in the playoffs.
Grimes comes at a very reasonable $4.3 million salary next season and will afterward become a restricted free agent. That is crucially important for the Mavericks because they were at real risk of losing Jones during free agency before making this trade. They could have only offered him their $5 million taxpayer mid-level exception, which would not be competitive with what outside teams would give.
In trading away Hardaway's $16.2 million expiring salary, the Mavericks open up a much bigger $13 million mid-level exception that they can use on Jones or another outside free agent. It was an excellent piece of accounting for a guy who they felt that they couldn't count on in the playoffs. Hardaway's shot had disappeared, and his poor defense made him a liability.
This was one of the only avenues that the Mavs had to improve their roster from last year. It was a clever use of their assets, allowing them to bring someone into the fold who can play in the playoffs.
Grade: A
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Pistons trade grade
Hardaway isn't going to play a big role in Detroit. He was acquired by the Pistons because they had over $60 million in cap space, and they weren't going to be able to get a player like Paul George or LeBron James to take that money.
The Pistons instead wisely used that cap space to take on a bad deal in Hardaway that the Mavericks were eager to get rid of. The price for their help — three second-round picks — was a good one. Hardaway will be off their books in a year.
This represents a new philosophy for the Pistons under the guidance of incoming general manager Trajan Langdon. Under previous GM Troy Weaver, they had made befuddling win-now moves and signed unpromising young players to big deals. Langdon is taking a more patient and sensible approach, giving the team a brighter future.
The Pistons probably aren't going to be done here. They still have over $50 million in cap space to continue to take on bad salaries and help facilitate complicated trades that are more restrictive for teams under the new apron rules. They are going to continue to build up their draft stockpile, trying to mimic a team like the Thunder in their rebuild.
Grade: A
