Los Angeles Clippers Could Bet on 76ers Guard's Breakout Potential

Quentin Grimes may need the right team more than he needs the biggest offer.

That is what makes the Los Angeles Clippers an interesting free-agent possibility.

PhillyVoice recently listed the Clippers as one of the teams that could pursue Grimes this offseason, and the fit is not hard to understand. Los Angeles is in an odd place. The Clippers missed the playoffs, have the No. 5 pick, and appear to be moving into a transition period built more around Darius Garland than the old Kawhi Leonard era.

That does not mean Leonard is irrelevant. When healthy, he can still help. But the Clippers can no longer build as if his availability and star-level production are guaranteed. They need younger, more flexible players who can fit around Garland while also giving the roster a cleaner direction.

Grimes could be one of those players.

At his best, Grimes is a useful guard who can defend, shoot, attack closeouts, and handle the ball in stretches. He is not a true lead guard, but he does not need to be one next to Garland. The Clippers would need him to provide size in the backcourt, defend bigger guards, play off the ball, and occasionally create when the offense needs another option.

The question is which version of Grimes the Clippers would be getting.

The best version was the one Philadelphia saw after acquiring him from Dallas. In 28 games with the Sixers during the 2024-25 season, Grimes averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. He looked confident, aggressive, and comfortable with more responsibility. He attacked the rim, hit threes, defended with energy, and made himself look like more than a low-usage role player.

This season was not the same.

Grimes averaged 13.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting 33.4 percent from three. Those are not bad numbers, but they are a clear step down from the player who briefly looked like a breakout star. 

There were also stretches where he looked disconnected in Philadelphia. At times, he did not seem fully engaged offensively, and his energy could fluctuate. Some of that may have been role-related. With Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe becoming the clear backcourt priorities, Grimes was no longer positioned to get the same touches or freedom.

That is why a fresh start could help.

The Clippers do not have overwhelming guard and wing depth. Garland is the centerpiece, but Los Angeles still needs bigger perimeter players who can defend, shoot, and play meaningful minutes. Grimes would have a clearer path to playing time there than he might in Philadelphia, where the Sixers already have their long-term guard structure forming.

In Los Angeles, Grimes could settle into a role that makes sense: defend the better opposing guard, space the floor next to Garland, attack rotating defenses, and provide occasional secondary creation.

The concern is whether the Clippers would be buying into the player he was for two months or the player he looked like this season.

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Wes Dixon is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at [email protected].