The Philadelphia 76ers have yet to reach an agreement with Quentin Grimes. The Sixers guard entered the summer as a restricted free agent. Currently, there has been no reported progress regarding contract negotiations.
According to an anonymous NBA executive, who spoke with Fred Katz of The Athletic, the Sixers should approach their negotiations with caution. The executive questioned the mindset of paying Grimes in the region of $20 million per year, when alternative options around the NBA are earning closer to the minimum.
“The way the cap (environment) is now, why would you spend $20 million on Quentin Grimes when you can get (Bucks guard) Gary Trent (Jr.) for a minimum?” The executive said. “We shouldn’t just sign young players because they’re young. … You’ve got to believe Grimes is gonna develop into your starting backcourt with (Tyrese) Maxey.”
Grimes joined the Sixers midway through last season. Due to injury issues plaguing Nick Nurse’s rotation, he found himself receiving a sizeable role in the rotation, and thrived due to the freedom it provided him. However, moving forward, Grimes is unlikely to have such a sizeable impact on the offense, which may limit how much the franchise is willing to pay him.
Sixers Warned of Importance in Retaining Grimes
During a recent livestream for Bleacher Report, NBA Insider Jake Fischer explained why the Sixers must re-sign Grimes before the new season.
“They basically cannot mess this up because of letting Guerschon Yabusele head out the door to New York with the absolute eye on bringing back Quentin Grimes and not hardcapping themselves at the second apron,” Fischer said. “So the Sixers, if they have their wish, they will get Quentin Grimes and they will maintain flexibility with the second apron restrictions to be a player and have their full taxpayer mid-level exception available as a trade exception or as an opportunity to potentially outbid other contending teams on the buyout market in mid-season, post-trade deadline, or at other stages of the season.”
Grimes will likely remain with the Sixers beyond this summer. However, it will be interesting to see how much his mid-season scoring explosion has increased his overall value and negotiating power.
Patrick Beverley Sends Message to Sixers’ Grimes
In a recent episode of “The Pat Bev Podcast,” the defensive-minded guard shared his thoughts on Grimes’ current free agency.
“Yeah, he needs to relax,” Beverley said. “I’m all with the homies getting paid, but let’s be realistic. Go ahead and get a two-year. Put some more work in. Put some more of that joy back in the game like you’ve been doing…I don’t think he’ll get $25 million, right? We’ve seen what he’s done. I think he can go to a younger team and be explosive off the bench. But, I don’t know if 25 is the number. I hope he gets 25, but I don’t think 25 is the number for Quentin Grimes.”
Patrick Beverley on Quentin Grimes wanting $25 million per year 👀
(via @PatBevPod)
Daryl Morey will undoubtedly want to get a deal over the line in the near future. Grimes still has a role to play in the Sixers’ rotation. However, Grimes may need to accept that one hot stretch of basketball isn’t enough to erase years of inconsistency and struggle elsewhere in the NBA.
Given his status as a restricted free agent, the Sixers hold a lot of the cards. All eyes will be on what sort of contract he signs in the coming weeks or months, and how many years are on the deal.
Sixers’ Urged Not to Overpay in Quentin Grimes Negotiations