76ers past demons may haunt their desire to re-sign Quentin Grimes

Many have criticized the Philadelphia 76ers’ signing Paul George to a four-year/$212 million contract last summer, but the moves they made to fill out their roster are troubling them even more. Kelly Oubre Jr, Andre Drummond, and Eric Gordon have player options to return to the 76ers for the 2025-26 season. If they all were to accept, it would potentially place Philadelphia dangerously close to the second tax apron, especially if it wants to re-sign Quentin Grimes.

Where are the 76ers at financially?

The trio’s player options, which need to be decided by June 29th, total to approximately $16.9 million. Considering the lackluster production of Drummond and Gordon and the controversial impact of Oubre, this is not an ideal financial spot for the 76ers to be in. Philadelphia’s active roster totals $177.3 million as it stands – including its team options, player options, and non-guaranteed contracts – while discluding its $30.6 million in cap holds.

Currently, the 76ers are $18.6 million below the first tax apron, but this calculation doesn’t include the $11.1 million annual salary that comes with the third overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. When included, Philadelphia is about $7.5 million below it on paper and this would be a fine spot if it wasn’t trying to secure Grimes for the long-term. 

In 23 games with the 76ers, the 24-year-old posted a career-best 21.9 points per game on 59.2% true-shooting, 5.2 rebounds per game, 4.5 assists per game, and 1.5 steals per game. With an uptick in production amidst Philadelphia’s tank, Grimes is entering restricted free agency as one of the top players in the market. 

What would it cost to retain Grimes?

Since the 76ers inherited his bird rights, they can re-sign Grimes at any cost, but his project value could push them towards tax territory. Jake Fischer reported on The Stein Line that he consulted with many NBA salary cap experts and they project that Grimes could earn upward of $14 million per year. 

“Depending on how the Sixers' roster looks after veterans Kelly Oubre Jr., Eric Gordon and Andre Drummond make binding decisions on their player options — and even with the Sixers hovering around that $207.8 million second apron threshold — we're told that they would have the capacity to far exceed $7-to-9 million range in average annual salary that was frequently ballparked as the limits Dallas maintained last October when Grimes, then still a Maverick, was in talks for a rookie-scale contract extension that ultimately did not materialize,” Fischer said.

If Philadelphia signed him to a multi-year deal that paid him $15 million next season, it would well exceed the first tax apron and be around $4.4 million below the second tax apron based on the previously done math. Still, Grimes will likely command a higher price given the nature of free agency negotiations. Whether a team is in the first or second tax apron, its flexibility is hampered as there are many team-building capabilities restricted by being a taxpayer, which you can learn about here.  

While the player options of Oubre, Drummond, and Gordon don’t necessarily prevent the 76ers from re-signing Grimes, their uncalled for salaries could put them in the danger zone financially. If Grimes is retained, Philadelphia will inevitably be in the first tax apron, it’s just a question of how much flexibility it can preserve. There are other ways the 76ers can cut costs, but it would be in its best interest to shed off all of its player options in a salary-dumping trade.