Quentin Grimes Contract Reportedly Eyed by 76ers in NBA Free Agency After Mavs Trade

Quentin Grimes has been a revelation for the Philadelphia 76ers since joining the team in a midseason trade, and the organization reportedly wants to keep him around for the long term.

According to NBA reporters Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, the Sixers "do hope to re-sign Grimes, whose precise market is difficult to forecast (as it always is for restricted free agents)."

While the Sixers have been mired in an injury-plagued and highly disappointing season, four positives have emerged.

The first was rookie Jared McCain, who was averaging 15.3 points per game before undergoing season-ending meniscus surgery on his knee back in December. The Sixers found a gem with the No. 16 pick in the 2024 NBA draft.

The second was offseason signing Guerschon Yabusele, who had spent five seasons overseas before impressing at last summer's Olympics. The Sixers signed him to a one-year deal for additional frontcourt depth, but he's been far better than expected, averaging 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 38.3 percent from three. He should have a market this summer in free agency, though by all accounts the Sixers want to retain him.

The third positive has been Grimes, who has been fantastic for the Sixers since being acquired in a pre-deadline trade with the Dallas Mavericks. In 22 games in Philly, the 24-year-old is averaging 21.8 points and 4.2 assists per contest, shooting 39.2 percent from three.

It's been, by far, the best stretch of Grimes' career to date, and it comes as his restricted free agency looms. His market could determine whether he remains in Philadelphia or departs; given the massive financial commitments to Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers may not be willing to match a lucrative offer sheet to Grimes.

The Sixers don't have a ton of locked-in financial commitments beyond the big three and McCain, though players like Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon could also choose to exercise player options. The Sixers also have cheap team options on Justin Edwards, Lonnie Walker IV and Jared Butler and the non-guaranteed deals of Ricky Council IV and Adem Bona.

How the team handles who it retains could coincide with the fourth, and final, positive from this season—the Sixers have been so beat up, and so bad, that they have put themselves in a strong position to keep their top-six protected pick this summer, which would otherwise be owed to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Currently, the 23-52 Sixers have the fifth-worst record in the NBA. If that holds, they'll have around a 64 percent chance to keep their pick, a 42.1 percent chance to land a top-four selection and a 10.5 percent chance to win the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes and secure the top overall pick.

Having the chance to bring aboard one of the top prospects in this year's NBA draft could drastically change how the Sixers view both their present and future rosters, and the team's full approach to the offseason may not come into focus until they have more clarity on where their pick lands (or if they are keeping it at all).

For example, the Sixers could decide that landing Flagg means a soft reset is in order. They could choose to build around Flagg, Maxey and McCain going forward, prompting them to consider trades for Embiid and George. Or they could see Flagg as the perfect addition to the current core group, which could affect how many resources they are willing to allocate to role players like Yabusele and Grimes, especially if both have strong markets.

That's only one (unlikely) scenario, of course. In most scenarios, keeping Grimes makes sense for the Sixers, but much will depend on both the draft lottery and the offer sheets he garners this summer.