Nico Harrison's Quentin Grimes trade looks worse than ever after the guard lands a $60 million Lakers deal

Nico Harrison's time as Dallas Mavericks general manager fell apart in February 2025 when he traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. The move shocked fans and cost Harrison his job when the team fired him that November. 

Days after trading Doncic, Harrison also sent guard Quentin Grimes and a second-round pick to Philadelphia for Caleb Martin, saying, "We valued Caleb more so, and we also got a second-round pick back." 

But that decision turned out to be a disaster. Grimes played great in Philadelphia, averaging 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists over 28 games that year.

Meanwhile, Martin only played 24 games for Dallas and could barely get on the court under head coach Jason Kidd. Fast forward to 2026, and Grimes is now teaming back up with Doncic after agreeing to a four-year, $60 million contract with the Purple and Gold.

He joins a long list of former Mavericks now playing in Los Angeles, including Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Walker Kessler. The Lakers have basically rebuilt Harrison's old Dallas roster, while the Mavericks are still trying to recover from the damage.

The timing adds another layer to the story. The Lakers' offseason overhaul comes right as LeBron James officially moves on after eight seasons in Los Angeles, leaving the team before the 2026-27 campaign. While the Grimes deal isn't directly tied to LeBron's free agency, it fits a clear pattern of the Lakers rebuilding their entire roster around Doncic as the new face of the franchise. 

Since the Texas native became a free agent, the Mavericks could have tried to bring him back on a reasonable deal to help fix their poor three-point shooting. But that hope is officially gone, and the overall look of this situation makes the front office's past moves look worse than ever.

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