The Mavericks weren't the only ones to benefit from Nico Harrison's pre-trade deadline decision-making, as the Philadelphia Sixers landed Quentin Grimes and a second-round pick. Dallas initially agreed to receive only Caleb Martin in return, but the deal was later amended to include a second-round pick due to concerns about Martin's hip. Even after that, it's clear who won that trade.
If you want to know just how badly the Sixers won that trade, look no further than what ESPN's Tim MacMahon said on the "Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective" podcast:
"I do have good news for the Mavericks on that trade. It is no longer true that Quentin Grimes is averaging more points per game than Caleb Martin has scored all season. It's 22 for the season for Caleb Martin to 17 per game for Quentin Grimes."
As Tim Bontemps chimed in, it might still be early in the season, but Grimes has a case to win Sixth Man of the Year, based on how he's played. He's averaging 16.8 points, 4.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per game off the bench, shooting 47.6% from the field and 40% from three in 31.2 minutes.
After his fantastic finish in the second half of last season in Philadelphia, some people said it was a fluke. The Sixers didn't have their top players, and there was no way Grimes could keep up that kind of play. At least, that's what Harrison hoped. His role is different than what it was last season (duh), but he's still thriving.
Quentin Grimes is making the Mavericks look bad
Harrison, who lost his job last week, said after the February trade that Dallas valued Martin more than Grimes. Martin played 14 games for the Mavericks last season, averaging 5.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game in 19.6 minutes off the bench. This season, he's averaging 1.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game in 10 minutes off the bench across 13 contests.
Martin hit 22 points on the season on Monday in Dallas' 120-96 blowout loss to Minnesota. He played 18 minutes, finishing with six points (2-of-4 shooting), three rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal in 18 minutes.
No matter what Harrison said or believed, there is no way you can spin that trade to make it sound like it benefits the Mavericks more than the Sixers. You can say that at least Dallas didn't have to deal with Grimes' restricted free agency, but even if he's only in Philadelphia for a season and a half, it was still a win for the Sixers.
And to be clear, Philly wants to keep Grimes, but he is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
When Nico Harrison's name is brought up in 20 years from now, the first thing that people will think of is how he traded Luka Dončić to the Lakers for an aging, injury-prone Anthony Davis. The second thing that should come to mind, at least for Philadelphia fans (and it might even be the first), is how he did the Sixers a favor by sending Grimes their way.