Quentin Grimes was an unrestricted free agent for the first time this summer. He’d bounced around the league a bit during his first five years, trekking from New York to Detroit to Dallas to Philadelphia, and the 2026 offseason was his first opportunity to truly pick his NBA home. When it became clear the Los Angeles Lakers were a potential fit, which would reunite him with Luka Dončić, whom he played well alongside in Dallas, it also represented a chance to pay for the team his dad, Marshall Grimes,
grew up supporting.
“It’s crazy because he grew up in the Oakland, San Jose area, played with Kurt Rambis for two years over there at Santa Clara, so he always had a Lakers connection,” Grimes told ESPN LA radio at Media Day last week. “His team was the Lakers and so just being back here and knowing that he always wore Lakers gear when we would work out and he would train me and whatnot, it was kind of surreal that when the feeling of mutual interest when the offseason came, that the Lakers were where I wanted to be. It was kind of fun to see that kind of come back.”
Los Angeles displayed considerable trust and optimism in Grimes by handing him a four-year, $60 million deal over the summer. The full-circle moment he gets to enjoy with his father could be amplified if he actualizes the sensible fit he seems to be for this roster.
He’s a good shooter who can attack closeouts and owns a history of impressive on-ball defense, a skill he’s looking to embrace again after skewing a bit more offensive-minded during 1.5 years with the Sixers. Those are all valuable traits alongside Dončić and Austin Reaves, and it sounds like Grimes is entering the year with plenty of reasons for excitement as he begins his Lakers tenure.
You can follow Jackson on Twitter at @jackfrank_jjf.
