The Philadelphia 76ers finally closed their strange saga with Quentin Grimes which quickly ended up being an exhuasting standstill, but the young wing will eventually come to realize that his gambit is most likely going to backfire on him when he tries his luck on a re-do.
It is nothing out of the ordinary for and when restricted free agents do everything in their power to hopefully try and corner their mother teams and cudgel them into extending lucrative offers, but with Grimes, that strategy had no shot of culminating into the expensive deal he has been seeking all summer long.
Aside from the fact that the 76ers did not have ample spending power to even entertain the thought of handing out a lofty offer, there was also no reason to yield to his camp’s reportedly rich demands. Philly was simply not going to try and outbid themselves, and the complete lack of other suitors only bolstered that defensive stance.
Next summer, Grimes will hit free agency anew. Of course, he will once again seek a handsome pay raise on his next deal, but it will most probably not even come close to the figure he was rumored to be eyeing.
76ers could see Quentin Grimes regret his decision this offseason next year
According to some rumors in the open market, Grimes wanted as much as $30 million a year from the 76ers, which obviously was way too high and unreasonable for the 76ers front office. Truth be told, he is not the kind of player who should command that kind of salary, especially since his lone “leverage” or cause of entitlement stems from a 20-ish games stint where the 76ers had no choice but to install him as their No. 1 option.
That situation is extremely unlikely to occur once more this season. The 76ers seem to be a bit healthier entering the campaign, and even if things go awry, the team is absolutely not incentivized to tank given the minimal protection on their first-round pick next year. Put simply, his usage will be much tempered this time around. His numbers will not get bloated to the degree that it did last season.
A reasonable range for Grimes is the taxpayer’s mid-level exception, but there is serious doubt about his amenability to such a ballpark figure. As a high-caliber role player, he probably can attract something a tad richer than that, but the 76ers do not exactly have a compelling reason to commit that much money to him, especially with VJ Edgecombe looking like a standout early on and Jared McCain being higher on their priority list.
This entire situation with Quentin Grimes has gotten so convoluted with money-related conjectures, but if there is one thing clear, it is that he will need to stay grounded as regards his market rate and the fact that the 76ers do not currently view him as an absolutely indispensable piece.