With their outlook on free agency much clearer in the wake of the LeBron James news, the Lakers appear to be moving forward with intention.
In search of adding more scoring and depth to the team’s bench, LA looks to be targeting another former Luka Dončić teammate guard in Quentin Grimes, as first reported by Marc Stein and Jake Fischer.
In a roundabout way, Dan Woike of The Athletic linked the two parties as well, though it was more of an indirect link.
Plenty of folks around the league have been linking the Lakers to Quentin Grimes.
The Lakers have depth and defensive issues on the perimeter, and Grimes is one of the better two-way players available in this free-agency class. The Lakers also, and I don’t know if you’ve heard, have money to spend.
Last season with the Sixers, Grimes averaged 13.4 points per game in 75 contests, 56 of those coming off the bench. He shot 45% from the field and 33.4% from the 3-point line. He also grabbed 3.6 rebounds and handed out 3.3 assists.
Grimes spent a half-season with Luka in Dallas, though it was the 2024-25 season when Luka was out for a large portion of it with a calf injury before being traded. The pair only shared the floor in 21 games.
While Luka was in and out of the lineup to start that season, up to the Christmas Day game when Luka suffered his calf injury, Grimes averaged 9.1 points per game while shooting 41.3% from three and 48.1% from the field.
For his career, Grimes is a 36.6% 3-point shooter. He is also capable of getting to the rim and finishing as well as being a playmaker. Or, as head coach JJ Redick put it in his exit interview, can dribble, pass and shoot, which are the types of players the Lakers want more of.
Considering how unreliable the Lakers’ bench was, particularly in the postseason, upgrades are needed to take a step to the next level as contenders. At just 26 years old, Grimes can be both an improvement in the present and a bet on his future as well.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
