Mavericks miss out on dream reunion as ex-Maverick reunites with Luka Doncic on Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers made a flurry of signings on Wednesday morning, and the most bittersweet of these signings for Dallas Mavericks fans was ex-Maverick Quentin Grimes signing with the Lakers on a four-year, $60 million deal. Grimes will reunite with his ex-Mavericks teammate, Luka Doncic, in Los Angeles, and given Dallas' quiet start to the offseason, as well as the fact that they had the financial capability to sign Grimes with the mid-level exception, this definitely stings for the Mavs.

Shortly after being traded by Dallas to the Philadelphia 76ers in February of 2025, Grimes took his game to another level. He proved he could be a bona fide three-level scorer and playmaker when given an increased role, as he averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.5 steals per game with shooting splits of 46.9/37.3/75.2 through 28 games with the 76ers down the stretch of the 2024-25 season.

Mavs miss out on dream Grimes reunion as he rejoins Doncic in LA

Nico Harrison's swap of Grimes for Caleb Martin was easily his third-worst blunder during his time as Mavericks GM, only behind letting go of Jalen Brunson and the Doncic trade, but many Mavericks fans had hope that Dallas could reunite with Grimes this summer given their need for more point-of-attack defense as well as another shot creator in the lineup.

Clearly, Dallas had the money to make this happen, and Grimes would've made even more money if he had signed for the MLE in Dallas instead, as there are no state income taxes in Texas, as there are in California.

However, the appeal of teaming up with his ex-Dallas teammate in Doncic, as well as playing under the bright lights in Los Angeles, was clearly more of a draw to him, and there ultimately weren't any reports of Dallas actually being interested in signing Grimes this offseason, despite how perfect the fit would be on paper.

Dallas needs to make a substantial move before it's too late

There are still options on the table for the Mavericks to improve via trade or in free agency, but Dallas has to make more moves outside of their rumored trade for Marcus Sasser, as they have a lot riding on returning to the playoffs next season, considering they don't control their first-round pick next season.

Missing out on Grimes is not the end-all-be-all for the Mavericks, but it will definitely be tough to see him don the purple and gold, as it will be even more of a harsh reminder of two of Harrison's worst moves as Mavericks GM every single time Dallas plays the Lakers.

Grimes would've been a dream reunion for the Mavericks, and he probably would've gotten a bigger role in Dallas than he will in Los Angeles, considering he plays the same position as Austin Reaves. The Mavs would've benefited massively from Grimes' shooting, defense, and secondary playmaking. Plus, he's already familiar with multiple players on the roster, which would've made a move back to Dallas easy for both sides.

Despite this, Masai Ujiri and company must now focus their attention elsewhere.

The clock is ticking, and many top free agents have already gone off the board through one day in free agency, as the modern NBA tends to move fast every summer at this point, and the Mavericks can't be left hanging with nothing to show once training camp rolls around.

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