The Los Angeles Lakers made a number of signings this offseason, completely overhauling their roster. One of the first names linked to the team early in the summer that would ultimately sign a four-year, $60 million contract was guard Quentin Grimes.
Grimes spent the last year and a half with the Philadelphia 76ers after a brief stint with the Dallas Mavericks where he played alongside Luka Doncic. And when discussing why he chose to sign with the Lakers, his familiarity with Doncic and other members of the organization played a big role, along with the franchise making him feel wanted.
“I think everybody wants to be wanted as a player and I feel like there was a lot of mutual interest between me and the Lakers for a while now,” Grimes said on Mason & Ireland on ESPN LA Radio. “Nobody expected Luka to be with the Lakers and we had a good little run with Dallas. I knew JJ, I knew Jarred Vanderbilt, I knew Kurt Rambis and Greg St. Jean and everybody so it was kind of like a no-brainer and a great fit honestly.”
Grimes is expected to step into a starting role alongside Doncic and Austin Reaves that was occupied last year by Marcus Smart. While Grimes’ offensive fit shouldn’t be an issue, his ability to be a primary defender is in question. But he is looking forward to taking on that challenge.
“Yeah, that was really one of the biggest selling points. Talking with JJ and them, having them being able to pitch me what my role like coming in and having a pretty big offensive role within the team,” Grimes added. “But also having a big leadership role on the defensive end as well. Taking on that challenge every night of guarding the best player and wanting that responsibility. I wanna have that challenge every night so that was the two main things when I was choosing in free agency.”
Grimes embracing the defensive side of the ball and wanting to take on the challenge of being the Lakers’ point-of-attack defender will be crucial to the team’s success. The offensive firepower on this team is clear, but their ability to defend at a high level will be the key in them being a championship contender and Grimes is ready to play his part in that.
Luka Doncic was first player to text Quentin Grimes after signing with the Lakers
As Grimes said, he already has a prior relationship with Doncic from their time in Dallas together and the superstar was even the first person to text Grimes following the news breaking of him joining the Lakers.
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