A summer of discourse hit a breaking point Wednesday afternoon as, at long last, there was a resolution to Quentin Grimes' lengthy stint in restricted free agency. Unfortunately, this particular outcome could strongly be argued as the worst-case scenario for both Grimes and the Sixers organization.
As the Philadelphia 76ers traveled to Abu Dhabi for a pair of preseason matchups against the New York Knicks, restricted free agent Quentin Grimes officially signed a one-year, $8.7 million qualifying offer to return to the Sixers, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. The 25-year-old guard had roughly eight hours left to sign before the offer expired.
Grimes's contract includes a no-trade clause for this season, and he will return to the open market next summer as an unrestricted free agent in a class that potentially features Luka Doncic, Jalen Williams, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Trae Young, De'Aaron Fox, Zach LaVine, and Mikal Bridges.
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1973477409900077468
According to Charania, Grimes' camp requested an average annual salary of $30 million per year during early free agent negotiations. Eventually, that number came down to $25 million, and again to $20 million, but talks never truly materialized between the two sides at that point.
Grimes has averaged 10.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists over his four-year career, which has also seen him play for four teams. His play did explode last season after being traded to Philadelphia, averaging 21.9, 5.2, and 4.5 with the Sixers, but at that time, he was the only capable offensive initiator far more often than not on a team that went 4-24 during that time.
David Bauman, Grimes' agent, informed Charania of the decision and detailed the negotiations between him and the team. By Bauman's account, the entire process consisted of what could easily be called hardly serious offers on either side, but when the initial ask is $30 million, one can't really blame Morey and the Sixers for refusing to cave.
Grimes now risks quite a gamble entering free agency in 2026. While teams will have far more available money than they did this past offseason, the class of free agents is also far richer, and Grimes, in all likelihood, will not have the opportunity he saw last season.
Meanwhile, for the Sixers, they're left with questions as well. A crowded backcourt featuring Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe, in addition to Grimes, was tricky enough already.
Grimes was, and still remains, the frontrunner to start alongside Maxey in the backcourt this season. Even after Jared McCain returns and as VJ Edgecombe develops this year, the role appears to be Grimes'.
However, after signing the qualifying offer, the Sixers are in an odd spot in which Grimes' chances of signing a long-term deal have significantly decreased. While they could sign him for more than most teams thanks to the Bird rights they hold over Grimes, if they were interested in paying him that much, they likely would have offered more than the $100,000 over the qualifying offer as reported.
The team has also lost all leverage in trying to trade him thanks to Grimes' no-trade clause. Even if he were to waive the no-trade clause, that very act would cause him to relinquish his Bird rights for whichever team he would be traded to, meaning that the team would not be able to exceed the salary cap when signing him.
