The Philadelphia 76ers will face a major decision regarding guard Quentin Grimes this offseason.
With the Philadelphia 76ers' trio of stars sidelined, someone on the team needed to step up.
Most of the fanbase hoped and anticipated that player would be rookie V.J. Edgecombe, but instead, guard Quentin Grimes has come alive on the offensive end. This past weekend Grimes carried the 76ers to back-to-back wins over the Brooklyn Nets and Portland Trail Blazers, scoring a combined 59 points in the matchups.
This all seems like positive news for Philadelphia, but the issue is Grimes hits unrestricted free agency this offseason, leaving the front office with what Bleacher Report described as a gut-wrenching decision.
"His scaled-back, role-filling work for Philadelphia this season should lead to offers with annual values at least twice as high as what he's getting now," B/R's Grant Hughes wrote. "The Sixers dumped Jared McCain for a draft pick in part because they wanted to duck the tax. We'll see if their thriftiness extends to Grimes this summer."
To put in clearer terms, the 76ers' decision is this:
A. Allow Grimes to walk in free agency, leaving Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe as the only guards under contract
B. Offer Grimes a lucrative multi-year contract, adding another high annual salary to the team
Let's first analyze option A. Because of the way Grimes performed to end the 2024-2025 season, teams in need of a starting guard will likely express interest in the 25-year-old. An organization like the Brooklyn Nets with a plethora of cap space can come in and offer him a hefty four-year contract the 76ers may not be willing to match.
The problem with this is it would leave Philadelphia's front office with some serious work to do filling out the backcourt. Cameron Payne's deal is up after the season while Kyle Lowry is expected to retire. Whether it's through trades, free agency, or the 2026 NBA Draft, letting Grimes walk means new faces would be needed in the guard room.
Option B sounds more intriguing but also has its cons. Grimes is averaging a respectable 13.5 points on 44.7% shooting in 62 appearances this season for the Sixers. At this point, Philadelphia knows what it's getting with Grimes, so it comes down to deciding what a streaky offensive-minded guard is worth.
The 76ers already have three max contracts on their books with Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Paul George, so investing a lot into yet another player is risky, especially if Grimes turns out to be nothing more than a role player in years to come.
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Anthony Pasciolla is the publisher of 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached via email at ampasciolla@gmail.com or followed on X @AnthonyPasci.