Recent former New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau has been spotted doing his job pro bono with an ex-New York guard, as the latter’s restricted free agency drags on.

Thibodeau was let go from New York after guiding the club to its most successful season in 25 years. Led by All-NBA stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks rode a 51-31 record to the Eastern Conference Finals.

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But that wasn’t enough for the Knicks powers-that-be, who canned Thibodeau after five relatively successful seasons.

Joe Tipton of On3 Sports recently captured a snap of Thibodeau at the University of Houston, looking on as former Cougars standout-turned-Philadelphia 76ers restricted free agent guard, Quentin Grimes, worked up a sweat.

Grimes had played in New York under Thibodeau for his first two-and-a-half pro seasons, averaging 8.6 points on .436/.379/.762 shooting splits, 2.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.7 steals a night.

He has been well-traveled in the intervening seasons, playing for the Detroit Pistons, Dallas Mavericks, and most recently Philadelphia.

Grimes put up such encouraging numbers during his 28 contests with Philadelphia, after being acquired at the trade deadline last season, that it has made his restricted free agency a bit of a tricky business. His 21.9 points on .469/.373/.752 shooting splits, 5.2 boards, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals would all represent career highs over the course of a full year.

Both Grimes and his former head coach have found themselves at career crossroads this offseason.

The Sixers have a bit of a surplus of young talent at the guard position.

Beyond Grimes (whose numbers were likely inflated thanks to some key injuries and the relatively low stakes of playing for a doomed team) — should he return — Philadelphia also has All-Star Tyrese Maxey, 2024 first-round draft pick standout Jared McCain, and this summer’s No. 3 selection V.J. Edgecombe angling for significant backcourt minutes.

Aging veterans Eric Gordon and Kyle Lowry will be back, too, but it’s unclear how much run they’ll actually get.

Grimes and Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga are the top remaining restricted free agents on the market. A few teams do have non-taxpayer mid-level exceptions available, and the Brooklyn Nets possess some actual cap space, but it doesn’t seem like there’s a ton of interest in anyone tendering an offer his way — which effectively gives the Sixers most of the leverage in negotiations.

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Despite two Coach of the Year honors and a solid 578-420 regular season record and a respectable 48-55 playoff record (including two Eastern Conference Finals appearances at two different stops), the 67-year-old Thibodeau has been let go from his third team as a head coach.

An impressive defensive coach, he has occasionally been criticized for a certain regular season inflexibility in his rotations and overplaying his best contributors. But he has also been the best coach for both the Knicks and the Chicago Bulls this century, with a proven playoff track record and an ability to get the best out of most of his charges. He deserves another shot somewhere.

Grimes has sung Thibodeau’s praises before. In his first game against New York in Madison Square since being traded, Grimes indicated that Thibodeau’s tutelage served as the highlight of his tenure with the team.

“Just playing for Thibs,” Grimes said this past spring. “He kind of gave me a great foundation on what the NBA is, what the NBA is about, how to be a pro, how to approach every game like it’s a Game 7, and stuff like that. So I’m just thankful for kind of having a really tough, hard-nosed coach my first three years. Going and playing for other coaches, it makes it kind of easy.”

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