Insane irony shows newest Dallas Maverick should've been on team way earlier

The Dallas Mavericks recently just traded Tim Hardaway Jr. and three second-round draft picks to the Detroit Pistons for Quentin Grimes. The move wasn't really a surprise for most people as they saw this coming when Hardaway Jr. disappeared in the NBA Finals against the Celtics.

What Mavs fans might not realize is the Mavs made a trade before the 2019 trade deadline to help their team win. In that deal, was the draft pick used to take Grimes.

Now, just three years later after the 2021 NBA Draft, Grimes is in Dallas, where hypothetically, he could've been his whole career.

Insane irony shows Quentin Grimes should've been on Mavericks way earlier

On January 31, 2019, the New York Knicks traded All-Star Kristaps Porzingis, Courtney Lee, and Hardaway Jr. in exchange for DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr., and two first-round picks. One of those picks was a 2021 unprotected first-round pick.

When the 2021 NBA Draft arrived, the Knicks used that unprotected pick to select Keon Johnson with the 21st overall pick. Four picks later, the LA Clippers selected Grimes with their first pick. After Grimes was selected, he was then traded to the Knicks along with a 2024 second-round pick for Johnson, meaning Grimes eventually went to the Knicks as the Knicks and Clippers swapped each other's draft picks. Irony arrived because Grimes was now recently traded to the Mavs when in hindsight, if the Mavs hadn't traded their 2021 unprotected first-round pick, Grimes could've been on the Mavs roster three years prior to the actual trade happening at the draft.

In his rookie season, Grimes struggled averaging only six points per game. His second season brought confidence as he averaged 11.3 points per game and helped the Knicks get back to the Playoffs.

Grimes was traded to the Pistons in 2024 and now is in Dallas. Grimes gets a fresh start with a new team and brings his outstanding 3-point shooting and tough defense to the Mavs.

When the Mavs traded their 2021 unprotected first-round pick in 2019, not many could've imagined they would've traded for a player they could've taken with that pick. Now in 2024, Grimes is on the Mavs, and the Mavs are excited to have him on board.