This past offseason, the Philadelphia 76ers were unable to come to terms on a long-term deal with their restricted free agent guard Quentin Grimes. Grimes ultimately decided to bet on himself and signed his qualifying offer, returning to the team on a one-year, $8.7 million deal. Now, 24 games into the 2025-2026 NBA season, it seems to be paying off.
Grimes became a Sixer a couple of days before last year's trade deadline in a deal with the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Caleb Martin. After joining the Sixers, Grimes exploded with averages of 21.9 points, 4.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds in 28 games. Despite this outstanding, career-high level of play, the Sixers went 4-24 in those games, largely due to injuries to the rest of the roster, which allowed Grimes the opportunity for such high usage in the first place.
Still, Grimes immediately showcased the type of player he could be and balled out before he became a restricted free agent.
During the free agency period, there were many reports surrounding Grimes and the Sixers, most of which indicated how far off the two sides were in finding an agreeable long-term deal. From Grimes’s perspective, he proved just how good of a player he could be in his time in Philadelphia.
For the Sixers, they didn’t want to pay Grimes solely based on 28 games of production. Also, since Grimes was a restricted free agent, the Sixers knew that there was no way for him to leave the team without their say-so. This left Grimes with two choices. He could take the safe route, signing a multi-year deal that could leave him underpaid if he continued to perform at a high level, or he could sign his one-year qualifying offer and bet on himself. He chose the latter.
And this decision currently appears to be working out in his favor. Grimes is averaging career highs this season with 16.2 points and 4.5 assists per game through 24 games. He is also averaging 4.2 rebounds and 0.9 steals a night while playing a career-high 33.4 minutes per game. His stellar play has also gained him some national recognition. According to BetMGM, he is currently sixth in the Sixth Man of the Year Award odds at +1400.
While no one would have blamed Grimes for taking the safe route and securing a multi-season guaranteed contract, the former first-round pick took a gamble on himself. He believed that he could carry over his positive momentum from last season, and he has. Grimes has played himself into being one of the most important members of this Sixers team and will likely receive a significant and well-deserved raise in the offseason, all because he bet on himself as a player.
