With the situation around the Philadelphia 76ers and Quentin Grimes, there has been some recent reporting on the likelihood of a possible sign-and-trade. While the rumors around the 76ers standout in Grimes will continue, it seems that the question of a potential sign-and-trade has been answered.
In the latest column by Tony Jones of The Athletic, he speaks about Grimes and where things stand with Philadelphia with the expectation from the team that they will retain the guard. Even going far as to say that the team “splashed cold water on potential sign-and-trade scenarios.”
“The proverbial elephant in the room is the restricted free agency of shooting guard Quentin Grimes, which at this point has yielded almost no movement,” Jones wrote. “To be clear, the Sixers as of Monday night, are almost certain they are going to retain him, and splashed cold water on potential sign-and-trade scenarios, league sources told The Athletic. The issue for Grimes is that the restricted free agency market is virtually non-existent. There is almost no cap space on the market, and that puts the Sixers in a position where they are bidding against themselves.”
Grimes emerged last season as a crucial piece to Philadelphia and stepped up as a scoring option with the immense amount of injuries to such stars as Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey. He has positional versatility, being able to play both guard and forward as last season after being traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the 76ers, he averaged 21.9 points in 28 games.
With $25 million reportedly being the ask of Grimes to the 76ers, it seems that there will be further negotiations on the number with the expectation that he will be back to the team. Jones would further state that his sources continue to say that both parties will “find a way to come to terms,” though each side has a different goal.
“League sources are confident that the Sixers and Grimes will find a way to come to terms, even if Sixers fans have grown a bit antsy waiting for a resolution, and even if the market has ground to a halt,” Jones wrote. “At this point however, Grimes and his team are looking for a significant payout, and the Sixers are content to sit back and allow the market to play itself out. Other restricted free agents such as Golden State’s Johnathan Kuminga and Chicago guard Josh Giddey are also waiting.”
Jones would also go through some of the resolutions of the matter with two being that they come to an agreement and the other being a sign-and-trade. The third is that Grimes could agree to a “$8.7 million qualifying offer,” which would lead to him being an unrestricted free agent next season.
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