For the first time in his NBA career, Quentin Grimes is in control of his own destiny. By accepting his qualifying offer to return to the Philadelphia 76ers, Grimes has ensured that no matter what else transpires in 2025-26, he will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Philadelphia may not have meant to do so, but by playing the waiting game with Grimes, it inadvertently granted his wish for control over the direction of his career.
Grimes, 25, has played for four teams in as many seasons. He spent the better part of his first three years with the New York Knicks and has since played for the Detroit Pistons, Dallas Mavericks, and, during the second half of the 2024-25 campaign, the 76ers.
Grimes' time with the 76ers will continue until he decides otherwise, as he now has a no-trade clause in his contract that adds another layer of protection against career instability.
2025-26 will now be the proverbial proving ground for the 25-year-old wing. If he lives up to the moment, he can realistically earn a significantly larger salary than the four-year, $39 million deal Philadelphia proposed.
It may or may not have been the 76ers' intention, but they've just gifted Grimes the career opportunity he needed to turn in his best season yet.
Quentin Grimes is finally in control of his own destiny
There's a realistic scenario in which the 76ers underperform as a team, particularly due to the widespread concerns about injuries. That shouldn't deter Grimes' optimism, however, as he now has the freedom to leave Philadelphia in 2026 if he doesn't feel positively about its future.
That same protection is in place if the 76ers opt to prioritize players with long-term deals over Grimes due to the potentially fleeting nature of his tenure.
The more optimistic outlook on his first full season in Philadelphia, however, is that Grimes was impressive in 2024-25 and should continue to receive opportunities to excel in 2025-26. The 76ers lack ideal perimeter depth, particularly in regard to size and spacing.
Grimes checks both of those boxes, as he's proven capable of defending the 2 and the 3 while shooting at a career clip of 37.5 percent from beyond the arc.
With opportunities likely to come his way, the door is now wide open for Grimes to earn a lucrative new contract. In 2024-25, he was well on his way to improving his reputation by turning in his best regular season since 2022-23, averaging 10.3 points and 1.7 three-point field goals made on .463/.398/.765 shooting with the Dallas Mavericks—in just 22.8 minutes per game.
Once he joined the 76ers, Grimes reached an entirely new level, averaging 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.9 three-point field goals made on .469/.373/.752 shooting.
In the event that Grimes builds upon that success in 2025-26, his new contract will inevitably be a massive improvement over his current deal. Even if his output falls somewhere in between what he did in Dallas and Philadelphia, his money should increase nevertheless.
Regardless of what transpires, the 76ers' cautious approach to re-signing Grimes has handed their breakout player a golden opportunity to finally decide his next move.