Report: Sixers considering trading two veterans to make room for Grimes

In a season that saw gloom all around it, Quentin Grimes was one of the very few positives for the Philadelphia 76ers last year. The trade with the Dallas Mavericks was a forward-thinking move to improve the Sixers' future as they continued to drift to the near bottom of the Eastern Conference table.

However, bringing Quentin Grimes back is proving to be more difficult than initially thought. For months, the Sixers and Grimes’ camp have been unable to reach an agreement on the player’s worth, which has stalled discussions regarding his new deal with the franchise. 

Now, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Sixers have considered trading veterans Andre Drummond and Kelly Oubre to end the back-and-forth between the franchise and Quentin Grimes’ camp and ensure his retention ahead of the start of the season.

“There has been buzz all summer long about the Sixers looking to potentially move one of, if not both, Andre Drummond and Kelly Oubre,” Fischer said.

Last season, Oubre averaged 15.1 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game in 60 games played, while Drummond averaged 7.3 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game in 40 appearances. During his time with the Sixers, Grimes performed at a far higher level, averaging 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists across 28 games. He also shot 46.9% from the floor and 37.3% from deep.

“If they are able to find a deal for one of those two guys as we get closer to camp, that would open up some more wiggle room for Philadelphia to be able to pay Grimes a little bit more,” Fischer noted.

The idea of trading the pair is clearly more of a financially motivated move than a tactical decision, as Drummond is currently on a $5 million deal with the Sixers, while Oubre is on $8.4 million, jointly costing the Sixers $13.4 million. By trading one or both, the team has more room to negotiate with Grimes before reaching the first apron, currently sitting with just over $10 million of space.

However, Fischer concluded by emphasizing that the decision seems to continue to be undetermined.

With the regular season quickly approaching, unless the Sixers and Grimes strike a deal soon, it seems increasingly likely that the young guard will take the qualifying offer and play out the season on a one-year deal, as Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas did last week. If he does so, he would have a no-trade clause for the full season and the opportunity to potentially leave the Sixers as an unrestricted free agent next summer. 

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