Quentin Grimes grew up rooting for the Lakers, and the newest addition to their backcourt is ready to prove the front office right.
Guard Quentin Grimes has waited his whole life for this opportunity.
The Los Angeles Lakers signed the 26-year-old to a four-year, $60 million contract this summer, and for Grimes the deal meant more than money.
His father grew up a Lakers fan, dressed him in Lakers gear as a baby and took him to watch guard Kobe Bryant whenever the team came through Houston, so landing in Los Angeles made a childhood dream real, and the whole family treated the signing like a celebration years in the making.
Grimes talked about that whole family history and his plans in purple and gold during an introductory interview with the team, and his father was reportedly thrilled when free agency finally brought everything full circle for the two of them.
"We have really good guys all-around with this team, so I'm super excited to be here and get to work," Grimes said.
Where He Fits on the New Roster
The excitement runs both ways, because the Lakers need exactly what Grimes does well.
He arrives from Philadelphia, where he played 75 games last season, and he brings averages of 15.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists across his 103 games as a Sixer.
He also hit 39.8 percent of his threes during his 2024-25 run with Dallas, where he shared the floor with guard Luka Doncic for a few months before the Doncic trade shook up the whole league.
The two are now teammates again on a roster that has been rebuilt around Doncic.
Forward LeBron James told the team in June that he was leaving, and the front office had its own reasons for moving on, then went to work on the supporting cast.
Center Walker Kessler, guard Collin Sexton and center Sandro Mamukelashvili came aboard in the same window as Grimes, and the new group gives Los Angeles a very different look around its two returning stars.
Grimes projects as the starter on the wing next to Doncic and guard Austin Reaves, and he doubles as the third guard whenever either of them rests.
That flexibility is a big part of why the front office paid him, because the roster no longer has one superstar to cover every hole.
Why This Signing Should Work
The fit makes sense on both ends of the floor.
Grimes is a strong, physical defender who can take the toughest perimeter assignment every night, which lets Doncic and Reaves save their energy for offense.
With Kessler behind him on the back line, the Lakers should defend at a level they have not reached in years.
Sexton has already been talking up the new-look frontcourt, and the optimism inside the building feels earned.
There is fair debate about where this team finishes in a deep Western Conference, and Grimes will not decide that by himself.
He does not need to.
If he defends, hits open shots and keeps the second unit steady, the contract will look like a bargain, and a lifelong Lakers fan will have made himself a real part of the franchise he grew up watching.
Training camp is nearly here, and Grimes sounds like a player counting down the days.
