Quentin Grimes and Evan Fournier open up after trade to Detroit Pistons

For a couple of dudes so separated in the age spectrum, the truth is that the careers of Quentin Grimes and Evan Fournier within the New York Knicks organization overlapped from start to finish with pinpoint accuracy.

And at the end of the day, both of them will forever be able to recite NYK’s Motto: Once A Knick, Always A Knick.

Last Thursday, on the NBA trade deadline for th 2024 season, the Knicks finally moved Frencham gunslinger Fournier to another team in a trade he’s been waiting to happen for more than a full calendar year. New York also sent Grimes, their 2021 first-round draft pick, to Detroit along with Fournier and former Villanova Wildcat Ryan Arcidiacono, on top of former Raptors point guard Malachi Flynn.

After a few days, the two freshest Pistons spoke to the media (h/t Steve Popper of Newsday and Omari Sanfoka II of Detroit Free Press for transcribing the quotes) ahead of Tuesday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers in which both players are expected to finally make their respective debuts for the Motown Ballclub.

While the Knicks faithful already got to watch their new pair of players—Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic—in action last Saturday, the Pistons won’t enjoy theirs after later today with Grimes and Fournier not dressing last Saturday in Detroit’s clash with the Los Angeles Clippers. I guess they wanted to unveil their new performers against the Lake Show.

Grimes only started six of his 46 games as a rookie in New York posting up a 6-2-1 per-game average line in 17 minutes of playing time. He improved a year after that helping the team reach the postseason after failing to do so the year prior, starting 66 of 71 games last season with 11.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 2.1 APG while shooting 46.8% from the field and 38.6% from three on 5.7 3PA per game.

This year, however, Grimes started the season in the starting lineup but grew frustrated by the lack of touches of opportunities with Tom Thibodeau ultimately benching and placing him in the second-unit rotation. Grimes left the Knicks having appeared in 45 games (18 starts) through Thursday averaging 7.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.2 dimes a pop with a regressing shooting slash-line sitting at 39/36/70, all those three numbers lower than those he put up a year ago.

Fournier, who joined the Knicks the same summer Grimes did, spent the last two seasons and a half in New York although he only was a prominent part of the rotation for the first season and change. He was first benched in Dec. 2022, coincidentally to make room for Grimes in the starting five, and Fournier never recovered from that.

The French international started all 80 games he played in 2022 but he was only a starter in seven matchups (27 played) last year before logging minutes in three games in 2024 before getting last week.

While Fournier left New York after a bizarre spell with the Knicks that had a little bit of everything (he averaged 11.8 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 1.9 APG shooting 40/37/73 splits with NYK), it’s also true that he made the most of his time in Manhattan by becoming the most-prolific three-point shooter in franchise history when he scored 241 triples in the 2021-22 campaign, breaking the single-season record set by John Starks (217) in 1995.

Tuesday, Feb. 13, marks the day in which Grimes and Fournier will wear their second and fifth different NBA uniforms of their respective careers as Detroit takes on the Lakers at the Cryptodome. Here is what the former Knickerbockers had to say about last week’s trade, their three-year runs in New York, what they hope to do in their new surroundings, and more.

Quentin Grimes (Detroit Pistons Player)

On getting traded to the Detroit Pistons last week and acclimating to his new team...

“Yeah, It’s been pretty fast. It kind of happened right away, I got to get used to the team. I know most of the guys on the team already. I’m really excited to be here to kind of get to know everybody, know the plays and just know coach (Monty) Williams and stuff like that. It should be really fun.”

On embracing a new chapter after struggling to find his place in New York...

“For sure, I feel like every year I got the opportunity, whether it was guys out or summer league, stuff like that, everybody knows I can put the ball on the floor and make plays for myself and my teammates.“

“I feel like coming here with a new group of guys I’m going to have the ball more, I talked to Coach [Monty] Williams already. Everybody knows me for my three-point shooting and defense, but I feel I can handle the ball and play off the ball. I can do a lot and contribute to winning there. Bring that winning mindset that we had in New York, bring that over here, bring my competitiveness, my toughness, my edge, and do whatever I can to keep building the culture that coach Williams has started so far.”

On meeting his new teammates in Detroit...

“You can tell it’s a really good group of guys and that something good will be cooking up soon.”

“[Detroit Pistons player Marcus Sasser] hit me up about an hour right after (the trade), blowing my phone up calling me, and I was telling them that we’re back at it like the [University of Houston] days, bringing back the winning like how we used to do back then.”

On the Detroit Pistons' outlook for the second half of the season...

“You can tell the record isn’t really indicative of how good of a team they are. They compete every night, they were in the game with the Clippers (last Saturday).”

“You can tell little things about the execution, just fixing that and correcting that. You can tell that the team is going to be something good. Their record isn’t an indication of the team they are, for sure.”

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

Evan Fournier (Detroit Pistons Player)

On finally getting traded by the Knicks...

“I’m really excited to be out of New York, so looking forward to new opportunities.”

On landing with the Detroit Pistons...

“[They have] a lot of enthusiasm [and are a] hard-playing team.”

On the opportunities the Pistons coaches and staff have offered him after his arrival...

“They haven’t said anything. As soon as I got traded, [Pistons general manager Troy Weaver] called me and said I was wanted here. That they tried to have me for the last couple of seasons now. I don’t know what’s going to happen. We’ll see.”

Troy Weakver (Detroit Pistons General Manager)

On trading for Quentin Grimes...

“We’re excited about adding Grimes. He fits the profile that we need. Doesn’t need the ball to hit shots and he defends at a high level. Great teammate. We expect him to step into a role to help support the young core.”

“He’s young, so he’ll continue to be part of that group. And for him to continue to grow as well. Excited to add him to the group. He was a target for us.”

Monty Williams (Detroit Pistons Head Coach)

On getting to coach Quentin Grimes...

“I’ve always felt like he’s one of those guys that’s trying to find that consistent path.”

”He has a skillset and a body type that fits the way we want to play. He can shoot the ball, he’s got a big body so defensively he can switch and guard the way that we like to.”

”I think there’s a lot more in his game and we want to try to figure that out. But just watching film on them when we played them and then just watching the league, I’ve admired him from afar.”

“Just goes to show you never know who you’re going to coach and play with.”