After trading Jared McCain, the Philadelphia 76ers should be desperate to retain Quentin Grimes.
Most would agree at this point the Philadelphia 76ers made a mistake by trading away second-year guard Jared McCain.
Regardless of how the player the 76ers select with the No. 22 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft pans out, keeping McCain around clearly feels like the superior option.
He thrived with the Oklahoma City Thunder, averaging 10.4 points on 39.1% shooting from three-point range. He kept up that strong level of play during the playoffs, recording 10.0 points per game on 37.1% shooting from the arc.
However, there is some potential positive news that could come out of the McCain deal. 76ers reporter Adam Aaronson believes dealing him to the Thunder "pretty dramatically" improves the chances of guard Quentin Grimes sticking around.
Aaronson's belief makes perfect sense.
The only two guards Philadelphia has under contract are Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe. While these are by far the most important backcourt pieces, the 76ers need at least two additional rotational guards.
Grimes could very well remain one of them.
He didn't display the same level of upside this season as he did in the 2024-2025 campaign but still had a solid year. The 26-year-old averaged 13.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists on 45.0% shooting in 75 appearances. It is worth noting Grimes disappeared in the postseason, tallying just 6.7 points per game.
Although Aarsonson claims the McCain trade influences Grimes' odds of staying in Philadelphia, other teams will certainly attempt to pry him away from the 76ers.
He is still only age 26 and averaged more than 20 points over a 28-game span not long ago. So, it's entirely possible a team such as the Chicago Bulls or Milwaukee Bucks wants to gamble on his upside. Not to mention, those teams can offer him greater opportunity. Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, he's trapped behind Maxey and Edgecombe.
Ultimately, the 76ers should look to re-sign Grimes on a team-friendly contract, but as an unrestricted free agent, the decision is in his hands.
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