After months of seemingly endless negotiations between Quentin Grimes and the Philadelphia 76ers, a controversial solution has been found.
Grimes will return to Philadelphia on his one-year, $8.7 million qualifying offer ahead of the 2025-26 season, Shams Charania of ESPN reported Wednesday. The 76ers aimed to add younger, dynamic players around their core of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George, and for the most part, they succeeded. Philadelphia now holds one of the best guard rotations in the NBA.
Why it went down this way
Grimes and the 76ers were unable to come to terms on a long-term contract because of his restricted free agent status. The market for those in Grimes’ situation was nonexistent as teams feared the roster-building ramifications of crossing the second tax apron. Therefore, players who are above role-player pedigree but below all-star level no longer have lucrative value.
As a result, Philadelphia had no reason to present Grimes a deal with a paygrade significantly above his qualifying offer since it didn’t have to match a contract proposal from another team. Both parties seemingly spent the past few months discussing how much money above Grimes’ qualifying offer the 76ers could provide to make him budge. This left Grimes’ camp scrambling for leverage when in reality, Philadelphia always had the most bargaining power.
The qualifying offer presented Grimes his only sliver of leverage. By opting into it, he now has a no-trade clause and will become an unrestricted free agent in 2026. Grimes would then be able to test the market without Philadelphia’s iron fist. Still, if he agreed to a potential trade from the 76ers this season, his new team wouldn’t inherit his bird rights. This would make negotiating a long-term deal more challenging due to salary cap limitations.
Philadelphia has one last vacant roster spot to fill. However, Daryl Morey tends to save an extra slot for a potential buyout addition or a two-way conversion. It’s safe to assume the first iteration of the 76ers roster this season is set. Philadelphia is now around $2 million below the first tax apron threshold and $14 million from the second tax apron mark.
Will Grimes start?
Grimes’ potential role has been a divisive topic amongst the fandom. Some want Grimes to start alongside Maxey, while others believe that it will stunt Jared McCain’s growth when he returns. Both sides make valid points, but Grimes would better balance the starting lineup.
While Maxey took some strides defensively last season, he’s still limited by his six-foot-two-inch frame. Having someone beside him who can take on tougher back-court assignments would be luxurious. For as promising as McCain is, starting him next to Maxey would make for a defensive liability as McCain is also six-foot-two-inches.
Normally, this would be fine if he and Maxey provided stellar offensive production, which they would. However, most teams have adequate front-court size to make up for it, which is something the 76ers don’t possess. Embiid’s lingering knee issues limited his defensive output as he was often targeted in drop coverage last season. Philadelphia also lacks a reliable power forward with size and defensive versatility.
Three-guard lineups will be a thing
The 76ers’ questionable front-court could prove to be an issue when they want to run three-guard lineups. Nick Nurse said during Media Day on Friday that multi-guard lineups are a possibility. Still, Philadelphia needs defensive infrastructure down low for those lineups to be effective. If Adem Bona, Dominick Barlow, and/or Jabari Walker pan out, it would make Philadelphia’s ability to go small more effective.
Nonetheless, it is something the 76ers should try. Grimes and V.J. Edgecombe could situationally play small forward while Maxey and McCain slot in at the guard positions. This would allow Philadelphia to play faster, which has been a point of emphasis these past few months. What that looks like remains to be seen.
While the resolution isn’t ideal, fans should be relieved that Grimes and Philadelphia handled business after a seemingly endless stalemate. The dollar amount is unfortunate for him, but that’s simply how restricted free agency unfolded this summer. Now, Philadelphia can focus on seeking redemption from the horrors of last season.