Knicks eyeing pair with first-rounders
The Knicks reportedly worked out Virginia swingman Trey Murphy III on Tuesday, but The Post has learned that another wing who can shoot and defend wowed team brass two weeks ago at their Tarrytown facility.
Quentin Grimes, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard who transferred from Kansas to Houston in 2019, is on the Knicks’ radar with one of their first-round picks (No. 19 and No. 21) in the July 29 NBA draft.
A month ago, Grimes was thought more likely to be selected in the very late first round or early second round. The Knicks have the 32nd pick (second in the second round), but it looks doubtful Grimes, a junior, will still be there. Murphy also is unlikely to be available to the Knicks in the second round. Both 21-year-old transfers are rising up draft boards.
According to a source, the Knicks like Grimes’ size, shooting and toughness on defense. He was one of three NCAA players this season to hit 100 3-pointers. He shot 40.3 percent from deep, and he averaged 17.9 points.
Grimes also is one of just two NCAA players who ranked in the top 10 in offensive and defensive rating, and scouts deem him as NBA ready.
Knicks president Leon Rose has a bundle of options. He could package the two first-round picks in a trade for a selection in the early teens (where they could choose a player such as Connecticut’s James Bouknight) or for an established NBA point guard (such as Cleveland’s Collin Sexton). Rose also could keep the Knicks’ picks and sort things out later.
Scouts don’t view Grimes as a potential star, but at the NBA combine last month, he likely played his way into first-round consideration as a solid role guy.
Grimes has taken an odd journey. He was slated as a one-anddone lottery-pick stud when he came to the Jayhawks as a freshman. He tested the draft waters, but transferred to Houston after a disappointing freshman year.
At Houston, Grimes reinvented himself more as a potential role guy and complementary shooter with passing skills. The Knicks’ last draft pick out of Houston was second-rounder Damyean Dotson in 2017.
The 6-foot-9 Murphy transferred after playing two years at Rice (also in Houston). In the ACC last season, he averaged 11.4 points and shot 43.3 percent on 3-pointers. The knock on Murphy is he’s not considered an elite defender or ball-handler.
Still, a handful of mock drafts have the Knicks taking Murphy at 19, based on coach Tom Thibodeau’s remark at the draft combine that his team is looking “for wings and guys who can shoot.” Jonathan Macri of Knicks Film School first reported that Murphy worked out Tuesday.
The Post has reported the Knicks also have Oregon wing Chris Duarte under consideration.