Sixers guard Quentin Grimes
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Sixers guard Quentin Grimes
Quentin Grimes is among a handful of restricted free agents yet to sign a new deal with their respective teams. Grimes has reportedly held negotiations with the Philadelphia 76ers front office during the offseason. However, as things stand, the Sixers have been unable to secure a deal with their standout guard from last season.
According to Jake Fischer, who was speaking via an August 8 Bleacher Report livestream, Grimes is still expected to re-sign with Philadelphia. However, there doesn’t appear to be a rush to get a deal over the line.
“I can absolutely say that the Sixers—various people in the organization, when asked—keep saying that Quentin Grimes is their top priority,” Fischer said. “And that they are going to bring Quentin Grimes back, it’s just a matter of dollars and cents. There is some buzz of him taking the qualifying offer, too.”
Fischer continued.
“I do think, at the end of the day, as things get to September and maybe even closer to October, that there will be enough synergy [to get a deal done] between Quentin Grimes and the Sixers… Quentin Grimes has never made significant money throughout his tenure as an NBA player. He absolutely stands to benefit from taking a significant offer, whatever it ends up being, from Philadelphia.”
There has been very little reported interest in Grimes outside of the Sixers organization. Therefore, the most logical move for him would be to re-sign with the franchise. As we get deeper into the summer, we’re likely to see both parties get closer in terms of finances and contract length.
And that will undoubtedly give the fanbase hope that one of last season’s top performers will remain with the franchise moving forward.
Grimes Faces More Competition This Season
When Grimes landed with the Sixers ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline, he was walking into a roster that had been decimated by injuries. That allowed him to assume a sizeable role within the offense, which in turn, led to some breakout performances.
However, it’s highly unlikely Grimes will find himself in that situation again, at least in terms of the Sixers. Instead, he will be competing for minutes against Jared McCain, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and even Kyle Lowry.
Therefore, the Sixers must ensure they’re paying him for the production they’re going to get, not what they received during a two or three-month explosion in a role that doesn’t exist for him moving forward. Grimes will need to accept that reality if he wants to secure some guaranteed money for the coming years.
Sixers Urged Not to Overpay Grimes
According to an anonymous NBA executive, who spoke with Fred Katz of The Athletic, the Sixers should approach their negotiations with caution. The executive looked to squash the notion of giving Grimes a deal in the region of $20 million per season.
“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.”
The hope is that both Grimes and Daryl Morey are willing to meet in the middle in regards to contract negotiations. If both can work together to find a suitable agreement, the Sixers would undoubtedly welcome him back into the rotation.
Although everyone will need to accept that what we saw last season is unlikely to transpire again, assuming everyone remains healthy.