Philadelphia 76ers fans have become restless as Quentin Grimes has not yet agreed to a new long-term contract to return to Philadelphia. Grimes threw the fandom a bone on September 8th – when he posted a picture of himself in a 76ers uniform on his Instagram story. Just when fans had a flicker of hope for a resolution, they were yanked back into a frustrating reality.
Jake Fischer reported that there has been no “tangible” movement in Grimes’ restricted free agent negotiations with the 76ers on The Stein Line Friday. A notable update on these motionless talks has not been provided since the start of free agency on June 30th. Philadelphia will play its first preseason game in 18 days while Grimes remains unsigned.
There’s a reason for this
This dilemma derives from the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which was implemented on July 1st, 2023.
The CBA added a second tax apron that disincentivizes the formation of super teams. If a team crosses this marker, some penalties include the loss of the taxpayer mid-level exception, an inability to combine salaries in trades, a prohibition on trading a future first-round pick seven years into the future, and more.
The 76ers are roughly $11 million below the first tax apron and if Grimes were to come back, they would likely cross that threshold. The 24-year-old guard holds an $8.7 million qualifying offer, so he’d likely return on a deal that annually pays him north of that amount. Philadelphia doesn’t have the wiggle room to retain Grimes while remaining under the first apron.
Meanwhile, Grimes’ management is searching the NBA for a team that could offer him a lucrative contract that the 76ers could match. However, between the league-wide lack of salary cap wealth and implications of the second apron, there isn’t a team that would realistically hand Grimes something compelling. This also gives Philadelphia no incentive to give Grimes a hefty paycheck.
Now, both parties are caught in a seemingly endless game of tug-of-war.
This could backfire for Grimes
While Grimes’ decision to hold out is rational, it could come back to haunt him.
Regardless of whether Grimes returns on a long-term contract or his qualifying offer, the 76ers have a loaded back-court with Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and V.J. Edgecombe. If Grimes continues to stand by during training camp, McCain or Edgecombe could impress to a degree where either could take Grimes’ spot.
Grimes would then be in a situation where he’s playing catch-up, which would be disastrous if he returns on his qualifying offer that would make him an unrestricted free agent next year. If Grimes was outperformed by McCain and, or Edgecombe, he likely wouldn’t net more of a lucrative offer next summer than he has in the past few months.
It’s in everyone’s best interest to handle business as soon as possible.