Quentin Grimes has now been a restricted free agent for nearly three months, yet he and the Philadelphia 76ers still appear nowhere close to coming to terms on a long-term contract.
Grimes has until Wednesday to accept his one-year, $8.7 million qualifying offer. It will automatically expire after Wednesday unless the Sixers agree to push back that deadline, which they've shown zero interest in thus far, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. After that point, Grimes would still be a restricted free agent, but he wouldn't have the threat of the qualifying offer looming over contract negotiations anymore.
In other words, expect a resolution by Wednesday, one way or another.
On Saturday, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported that Grimes and the Sixers "have been far apart from the beginning" on a long-term deal, so "recent discussions have focused on a one-year deal that would compel Grimes to waive his right to block any trade between now and the Feb. 5 trade deadline." If he signs a one-year deal—whether it's his qualifying offer or a larger balloon deal—he has the right to veto any trade since his Bird rights won't travel with him to his new team. The Sixers are trying to incentivize him to waive that right by offering him more than his $8.7 million qualifying offer on a one-year deal, although they've yet to find middle ground with Grimes' camp there, either.
"The only thing we have in front of us is the qualifying offer and a very, very, very small delta to buy out the no-trade clause from them, which we're not going to do," Grimes' agent, David Bauman, told Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice last week. "Our counter is a much larger balloon number that still [keeps the Sixers] below the second apron. And we'll see how it goes. Otherwise, Quentin is coming to terms and coming to peace with the fact that he'll be back in Philly on a one-year deal at the qualifying offer."
Quentin Grimes and the 76ers have not been able to find a middle ground
League sources (aka Grimes' agent) told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that for Grimes to waive his right to veto a trade, "Philadelphia's offer would preferably be somewhere north of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($14.1 million) and $19 million range." However, anything higher than roughly $16 million would push the Sixers dangerously close to the $207.8 million second apron, particularly if they use their $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception at some point. (Doing so would hard-cap them at the second apron, too.)
Bauman has spent the last week telling every Philadelphia-adjacent reporter that the Sixers' only long-term offer was in the four-year, $39 million range, which is effectively Grimes' qualifying offer with 8 percent annual raises. The Sixers have strongly denied to multiple reporters that they ever made a formal offer along those lines. However, Fischer reported that Grimes' camp "has pursued a salary approaching $25 million in average annual value" after his late-season breakout, which is likely a non-starter from the Sixers' perspective given their proximity to the aprons.
With only two days left until the qualifying-offer deadline, both sides still appear to be deeply unserious about negotiations. Grimes was phenomenal during his 28-game stint with the Sixers, but he also took advantage of a larger-than-expected opportunity on an injury-ravaged team that was circling the drain on a lost season. It's reasonable for the Sixers to want to see how his production translates to their full-strength roster before they pony up the same rate that the Chicago Bulls just gave Josh Giddey on a long-term deal.
Then again, the Sixers are delusional if they think Grimes would be willing to take a long-term offer south of $10 million. Sam Merrill, who has started a grand total of seven games across his five-year NBA career and has averaged only 6.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in 173 appearances, just got a four-year, $38 million deal from the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer. Per-minute darling Luke Kornet, who has yet to play more than 18.6 minutes per game in any of his eight NBA seasons, got a four-year, $41 million contract from the San Antonio Spurs.
If both sides don't swallow their pride and realize that a short-term deal around the $14.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception would be a reasonable compromise, then this showdown will likely end with a one-year deal by Wednesday. The only question is whether it'll be Grimes taking his qualifying offer and preserving his right to veto a trade, or if he'll take a one-year balloon deal that gives him more money but increases the likelihood of him being shipped out by the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
Either way, if he puts up numbers like he did with the Sixers last year, he could be one of the top unrestricted free agents next offseason.