Kansas' Quentin Grimes Enters Transfer Portal After Withdrawing from NBA Draft

Kansas guard Quentin Grimes has reportedly decided to withdraw his name from the 2019 NBA draft and will enter the transfer portal. 

Evan Daniels of 247Sports reported Grimes' withdrawal. Jayhawks head coach Bill Self announced Grimes' plans to transfer immediately after the decision became public. 

Grimes averaged 8.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game during his freshman season with the Jayhawks. The 6'5", 210-pounder struggled a bit as a shooter, finishing with a 38.4 field-goal percentage.

Rated a 5-star recruit coming out of high school by 247Sports, the Texan did not do nearly enough to impress NBA scouts. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman did not have Grimes among his top 50 prospects.

Self wished Grimes the best in a statement announcing his intention to transfer: 

"We've all enjoyed coaching Quentin this past year and certainly appreciate his efforts. We initially anticipated him staying in the draft, but he and his family decided to return to college but not return to the University of Kansas. We totally support and respect Quentin and his decision and wish him the very best moving forward. We believe Quentin will have a long professional basketball career and look forward to watching his development."

Grimes' decision to transfer is not much of a surprise, though it will force him to sit out the 2019-20 season. 

At the NBA Draft Combine, Grimes told reporters that he had no complaints about Self.

"I wouldn't say anything negative, honestly. He's just a Hall of Fame coach. Not really too many negative things you can say. I think he just wants the best for you. He's hard on you.

"You like that. You have to have a coach that's hard on you, that's wanting to push you to be the best. So I feel like that's not really a negative. It's a positive in the sense that he wants the best for you."

Grimes should not struggle to find interest in the transfer portal, given he was one of the most sought-after prep players in the country last year. While he had been locked into Kansas for most of his recruitment, he also received interest from Kentucky, Texas and Arizona, among others. It's possible Grimes looks for a situation closer to his home in Texas.

Losing Grimes to the transfer portal should be considered a major disappointment for Kansas, which could have used him after failing to snag RJ Hampton. The Jayhawks were considered a favorite to land the coveted guard before he announced he would be playing professional basketball for the New Zealand Breakers next season.