The Philadelphia 76ers are running out of time to decide whether or not Quentin Grimes factors into their long-term plans. Grimes accepted his qualifying offer after a drawn out period of restricted free agency and will now be eligible for unrestricted free agency this coming summer.
With the 2026 NBA trade deadline just over one month away, the 76ers are running out of time to decide if Grimes is a long-term fit or a player who needs to be traded.
Grimes was excellent for Philadelphia after it acquired him from the Dallas Mavericks in 2024-25. He averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.9 three-point field goals made in 33.7 minutes per game while shooting at a clip of .469/.373/.752.
One of the reasons the 76ers seemed to be reluctant to sign Grimes to a costly long-term deal, however, was the fact that he'd never previously played at that level.
Grimes' career-best averages before the 2024-25 season were 11.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.7 steals, and 2.2 three-point field goals made per game. The crucial context, of course, was that he'd never been consistently positioned to play with the ball in his hands.
Grimes is proving to be anything but a fluke in 2025-26, but with unrestricted free agency looming, the 76ers must weigh the risk against the reward of trading him.
Should 76ers trade Quentin Grimes or risk losing him in free agency?
Grimes is currently averaging 14.8 points, 4.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 1.0 steal, and 2.3 three-point field goals made in 32.3 minutes per game. He's doing so while producing a slash line of .434/.365/.867 and adapting to a dramatically different rotation than the one he played with in 2024-25.
With Joel Embiid and Paul George healthy again, and rookie V.J. Edgecombe commanding significant touches, Grimes has been forced to adapt his game to what the team needs on a nightly basis.
To his credit, Grimes has done a phenomenal job of taking these new challenges in stride. He's toed the line between passive and assertive depending on what the situation calls for, and has closed out a long list of close wins with the starters.
Grimes has done so by scoring at all three levels, working both with and without the ball to create for himself, distributing to his teammates, and spacing the floor.
Defensively, Grimes is quietly turning in a fantastic season. He ranks in the 93rd percentile in ball screen navigation, the 89th percentile in off-ball chaser defense, the 76th percentile in perimeter isolation defense, and the 75th percentile in pickpocket rating, per Basketball Index.
Grimes also ranks in the 74th percentile in matchup difficulty, which reflects how eager he's been to take on the challenge of containing opposing teams' top offensive players.
For as intriguing as that all may be, the fact remains that Grimes reserves the right to sign with a new team this summer. With this in mind, the 76ers could lose one of their best players for no return whatsoever. That reality simply can't be ignored.
There's no obvious answer to what the 76ers should do, but they would be wise to at least explore the trade market to know what their options truly are before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.