Feb 11, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes (5) drives with the ball against Toronto Raptors forward Chris Boucher (25) in the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
The Dallas Mavericks completely changed the franchise leading up to the 2025 NBA trade deadline, moving on from four players who began the season with the Mavericks, including three that were on the roster for the final runs last year. Luka Doncic rightfully receives the most attention as the 25-year-old superstar was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers in a baffling move that has led to general manager Nico Harrison receiving plenty of criticism.
However, another of Harrison's deals is also starting to look pretty bad and might not fly under the radar for much longer. Shortly after Doncic was traded, the Mavericks sent guard Quentin Grimes to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for veteran forward Caleb Martin.
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Martin has yet to debut in Dallas due to a hip injury while Grimes just put together his best performance of the season with the 76ers. On Wednesday night, Grimes scored a season-high 30 points on 10/18 shooting, including 4/9 from three-point range. He added nine rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block in 36 minutes as Philadelphia came up short 100-69 against the Brooklyn Nets.
The performance was one of the best of Grimes's career and his first 30+ point game since scoring 36 points when he was with the New York Knicks in 2023. This was the third time that he's scored 30 or more points in a single game. Grimes notched 28 points for the Mavericks on December 1 and reached 20+ points in seven different contests with the franchise.
This move looks even worse in hindsight because Dallas had an opportunity to nix the deal due to Martin's injury. Instead, they allowed Philadelphia to add a second-round pick to the haul to push the deal through. Martin is expected to miss a minimum of another week and he hasn't played since January 10.
It is worth noting that Martin is signed through the 2027-28 season while Grimes will be a restricted free agent this summer.
On the season, Martin has averaged 9.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.1 steals in 30.4 minutes per game over 31 appearances.
Grimes is averaging 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 23.3 minutes per game over 51 appearances.
The Mavericks are 29-26 after defeating the Golden State Warriors and have one more game remaining leading up to the break.