Quentin Grimes' bold bet on himself will make or break his Mavericks future

One player that the Dallas Mavericks needed to get rid of after losing the 2024 NBA Finals was Tim Hardaway Jr. after a disastrous end. On June 30, 2024, the Mavericks traded away Hardaway Jr. to the Detroit Pistons and received Quentin Grimes.

While playing for the Pistons and New York Knicks, Grimes showed signs of potential and was excited for an exciting fresh start in Dallas. A new system with a proven head coach in Jason Kidd with elite talented players could help grow Grimes' game with his defense and 3-point shooting at the center of it all.

However, after Grimes was traded to Dallas, the 24-year-old decided to bet on himself and not sign an extension with Dallas before the season began. Dallas and Grimes had conversations about an extension, but they never came to an agreement. With Grimes betting on himself, it will make or break his future in Big D.

Grimes' season will determine his fate after denying extension offer

NBA insider Marc Stein broke down all the latest on Grimes' bet on himself heading into the season, including some of the details of the rumored extension that the Mavs offered Grimes ahead of this season.

"After talks with Dallas on a new deal, Grimes elected not to accept the Mavericks' three-year offer," Stein said. "Believed to be in the similar range as Dallas' three-year, $27 million offseason deal with Naji Marshall -- in hopes that a strong season debut season alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving can lead to a richer deal in restricted free agency."

When the Mavericks made the trade for Grimes, it did come with a risk of having Grimes be a restricted free agent after this season, but now it came with a bigger risk with Grimes betting on himself and not signing an extension. However, it might be better for Dallas that Grimes chose to bet on himself.

If Grimes has a poor season, then it could put Dallas in a position where they may not want to re-sign him next summer, or they could look to move him before the trade deadline as he is on an expiring contract. Grimes did become a potential trade piece when the Mavericks signed Spencer Dinwiddie to a one-year deal. With Dinwiddie being familiar with Kidd's system along with his history of playing well with Doncic, he is in the perfect spot to succeed, but he has struggled so far and hasn't played any meaningful minutes.

After a slow Mavericks debut for Grimes, he didn't fair much better in Saturday's game against the Phoenix Suns. Grimes went scoreless in six minutes with two fouls and has averaged just one point per game this season.

We haven't gotten to see Grimes show off his offensive bag just yet, and it'll take time for him to get settled into a role, but he still has to be a bit better even if his minutes are limited.

If Grimes continues to have struggles this season, then his future in Dallas could be ending sooner rather than later as the Mavs may decide not to re-sign him over the summer. With not much playing time to start the season, Kidd might gain more trust for him later in the season. The Mavericks host the Utah Jazz tonight with a chance for Grimes to finally start getting confidence. For all the latest on Grimes and the Mavericks, stay tuned.