The Philadelphia 76ers remain one of the few teams in the league with the capacity to be a key player in the open market with the first wave of free agency having already lapsed, thanks in huge part to restricted free agent Quentin Grimes.
Grimes, who is, without a doubt, the biggest priority for the 76ers at this juncture, remains a free agent. Both camps have taken more time than expected to come to terms with each other on a new deal, and it seems like this impasse could very well go on longer after a recent surprising update on this front.
According to The Athletic’s Kelly Iko, there has been little to no traction between Grimes and the 76ers front office regarding a new deal, although both camps remain determined to continue negotiations moving forward.
This is definitely surprising, as nearly everyone thought that both sides are actively negotiating. With the 76ers having already lost Guerschon Yabusele, keeping Grimes has become all the more important, lest they can pencil this offseason in as a major failure.
The 76ers reach a surprising point with Quentin Grimes’ free agency
After how the market quickly unfolded the moment free agency began, the Grimes sweepstakes had swiftly become a one-man race. The teams with actual cap space they can leverage to hand the 25-year-old’s camp a tempting offer took themselves out of the running, leaving the 76ers as the lone team to have the clear financial means to sign him.
That has become even more apparent with Yabusele’s departure. However, the fact that there has been little movement on the Grimes front is certainly shocking, although it should have been foreseeable for many.
What is clear now is that Grimes and his representation are doing everything they can to compel the front office to tender him a lofty offer. Sure, Philadelphia does not have to yield to their reportedly lucrative demands, but Grimes is obviously holding out as much as he can to get the best deal out there.
Unfortunately for him, though, he may not even get any semblance of leverage in negotiations with the 76ers. After all, there is no team out there that can feasibly throw him a handsome offer sheet in which Philly would be compelled to match.
For now, this dilly-dallying has become a painstaking, yet necessary step to an inevitable outcome. The Philadelphia 76ers are extremely likely to re-sign Quentin Grimes. At this point, it is only a matter of when, and most importantly, for how much.