It was quite clear from the beginning that the Philadelphia 76ers were likely to lose Quentin Grimes in free agency. Their decision to draft his direct replacement in Labaron Philon Jr. was pretty telling of what they felt with the 26-year-old, and almost right after free agency commenced, there were already rumblings that he will end up signing with the Lakers instead.
Indeed, that was precisely what transpired. However, the 76ers are probably not beating themselves up for letting Grimes walk away for nothing. In fact, they might have let out a collective sigh of relief when it was reported that LA inked him to a four-year, $60 million deal –– a steep price to pay for someone who did not exactly have an inspiring campaign this past season.
Grimes struggled a lot in the 2025-26 campaign, averaging just 13.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game despite playing nearly 30 minutes a night. Juggling between roles drastically hampered his rhythm, and for some reason, he simply ended up not supplying the one thing the 76ers expected from him, which is being an off-ball threat as a three-point shooter. He drained just 33.4 percent of his triples, a career-low mark for him.
The Lakers saved the 76ers from making a huge free agency mistake with Quentin Grimes
Well, true enough, the 76ers were in dire need of more help off the bench, but it did not seem prudent to "reward" Grimes with a considerable pay raise after the kind of season he had. Thankfully, the Lakers were the ones which ended up assuming the risk with the lucrative contract they offered to him and his demanding camp successfully.
Like Philly, Los Angeles also needs a scoring punch in their second unit. They are probably banking on Grimes having more leeway with the ball in his hands as the third guard behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. His familiarity with Doncic is probably also another reason why the Lakers did not hesitate to hand him a contract.
To his credit, Grimes was never really an unlikeable part of the roster during his stint with the 76ers. However, what was once a partnership thought to potentially last ended with an anticlimactic finish, although it may probably be for the best for both parties. Thankfully, the Lakers played the role of intervenors and prevented the 76ers from over-committing out of sheer force.
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