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While the 2024-25 NBA season didn't go the way many a fan of the Philadelphia 76ers may have hoped, one major bright spot in the otherwise darkness of the situation was the play of Quentin Grimes, who went from a solid mid-season acquisition to the team's offensive engine down the stretch.
Suddenly, the two-way wing looked like a whole lot more than a depth piece on a good team and has been penciled in as a starter for next season, as a result – a role he may ultimately keep, depending on how the 2025 NBA Draft shakes out.
And yet, while Grimes becoming a player under Nick Nurse was a welcomed development, Daryl Morey will have to pay up to keep him in a red, white, and blue uniform.
Discussing the 76ers' cap situation and how much Grimes could cost to retain, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line broke down Philadelphia's immediate future, which could be severely impacted by the contract choices of three players.
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“Depending on how the Sixers' roster looks after veterans Kelly Oubre Jr., Eric Gordon and Andre Drummond make binding decisions on their player options — and even with the Sixers hovering around that $207.8 million second apron threshold — we're told that they would have the capacity to far exceed $7-to-9 million range in average annual salary that was frequently ballparked as the limits Dallas maintained last October when Grimes, then still a Maverick, was in talks for a rookie-scale contract extension that ultimately did not materialize,” Fisher wrote.
“Multiple numbers-crunchers we consulted indicated that Grimes, after his breakout scoring for the Sixers in March, does appear to be heading for a payday that starts north of the $14.1 million midlevel exception.”
Now granted, the 76ers can absolutely sign restricted free agent Grimes to whatever contract they'd like, regardless of the cap situation, as the team has his rights and can exceed the cap to keep the ascending two-way player around. But would the 76ers go over the second apron to make it happen regardless of how the rest of their offseason shakes out? Factor in pick No. 3 in the 2025 NBA Draft and the ever-present rumors about Paul George and Philadelphia might just be entering their most interesting stretch of the calendar year.
