The Philadelphia 76ers and Quentin Grimes are yet to reach an agreement over a new contract. Grimes is a restricted free agent this summer. The Sixers will undoubtedly look to keep the impressive guard if they can find a fair agreement.
In a July 8 report from The Athletic’s Tony Jones, it emerged that the franchise is “almost certain” of retaining Grimes moving forward. Jones also poured some cold water over the notion that the Sixers could move Grimes in a sign-and-trade deal.
“The proverbial elephant in the room is the restricted free agency of shooting guard Quentin Grimes, which at this point has yielded almost no movement,” Jones wrote. “To be clear, the Sixers as of Monday night, are almost certain they are going to retain him, and splashed cold water on potential sign-and-trade scenarios, league sources told The Athletic. The issue for Grimes is that the restricted free agency market is virtually non-existent. There is almost no cap space on the market, and that puts the Sixers in a position where they are bidding against themselves.”
Grimes joined the Sixers midway through the season. In a year where Philadelphia struggled with injuries, Grimes emerged as a valuable scorer within Nick Nurse’s rotation. However, once the Sixers are back to full strength, he will have a more defined role. As such, the Sixers can’t pay Grimes like a star, nor should they want to.
Patrick Beverley Sends Message to Grimes
During a recent episode of “The Pat Bev Podcast,” the former Sixers guard Patrick Beverley shared his thoughts on Grimes’ current asking price, which is rumored to be around $25 million per year.
“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.”
Grimes is young enough to chase a bigger contract in his next foray into free agency. Right now, he must continue proving himself and earning such a lofty contract. After all, his breakout with the Sixers is the best stretch of basketball in his young career.
Grimes and Sixers Still Locked in Talks
According to The Athletic’s Kelly Iko and Tony Jones, there has been “little to no movement” in negotiations between the two sides.
“To this point, there has been little to no movement with restricted free agent guard Quentin Grimes and the Philadelphia 76ers, league sources tell myself and
@Tjonesonthenba. The two sides are hoping to continue communication in the coming days,” Iko reported via X.
With the latest report that Philadelphia is confident of retaining Grimes, fans can likely look forward to him joining VJ Edgecombe in the second unit. However, it will be interesting to see how Nurse balances his embarrassment of riches at the guard position next season. Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, Edgecombe and Grimes is a stack rotation. Keeping everyone happy and locked in won’t be easy.
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