Apr 13, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes (5) controls the ball against Chicago Bulls guard Jevon Carter (5) in the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
We are less than two days from Media Day, and Quentin Grimes' future with the Sixers remains questionable at best.
Business is business. These ears have heard nothing to suggest that the Sixers want out of the Grimes business. But, even with his Bird rights, they're prudent to want Grimes on terms that are financially beneficial to them.
In other words, like any company, they should be mindful of whether their costs exceed market value.
So that has left Grimes and his representation with one objective - come back with a competitive market and challenge the Sixers to match the best offer.
That leaves us in late September, with Grimes and Philadelphia still not close to a deal, according to ESPN:
Developments on restricted free agents -- 76ers' Quentin Grimes and Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga -- for NBA Today: pic.twitter.com/h5gRfh8eUy
"I'm told both of these sides are very far apart on a deal," Shams Charania said on Wednesday afternoon. "Quentin Grimes' agent, David Bauman, told me today that it was the first time today that the Sixers made a formal, hard offer to Grimes as a restricted free agent."
Charania added that Grimes will not be present for the team's Media Day on Friday or traveling with the Sixers to Abu Dhabi this weekend for a pair of preseason games. He then ended the television segment on Grimes by issuing something resembling a warning - that this situation could end in Grimes accepting the qualifying offer that is extended to restricted free agents.
Kyle Neubeck of PHLY has since debunked the assertion that today marked the Sixers' first real offer to Grimes. That and the perilous ending to Charania's intel on the matter project a situation in which camp Grimes is running out of leverage.
Tony Jones of The Athletic added this on Wednesday evening:
Sources: Quentin Grimes and his camp, in a conversation with the sixers today, proposed for the Qualifying offer deadline to be extended to October 8. It would give the two sides an extra week to try and hammer out a deal
So how do we go from a gulf between the two parties to at least enough motivation to get something done that there's a conversation about extending the qualifying offer deadline by a week?
For what it's worth, Jones later reported that the Sixers are expected to reject that request.
Regardless of that, the only way this timeline makes sense is...last-resort leverage.
The qualifying offer, you could argue, is a mutually detrimental conclusion to this saga. Grimes gets an implied no-trade clause. If he waives that no-trade clause to help facilitate a trade during the season, the acquiring team loses his Bird rights. He'd hit unrestricted free agency next summer - that happens regardless of whether he gets traded - and no one would be able to go above the cap to pay him.
It's also a risky bet for the shooting guard, who would open himself up to an unrestricted free agency in the midst of a significant injury (that is not reporting on an injury, it's merely a fact that it could happen) or in the aftermath of a disappointing season.
On the Sixers' end, it opens the risk of losing a young, versatile guard on the open market next summer.
Perhaps that's the way this story ends. A summer that culminates in neither side getting the better end of the stick, and maybe it ends in a midseason divorce or a one-year flame.
What does proposing an extended deadline for the qualifying offer do? It theoretically gives you time to find a sign-and-trade destination. More leverage.
But, on the other hand, if you're Grimes and his representation, you've had all offseason to manufacture a market. Not just to drum up your present-day value, but to bring something back to Philadelphia to force the Sixers' hand. Again, it is late September. What have you been doing all this time? If you've been gathering intel all this time to make the most informed decision, is it really just "business is business" or are you being delusional?
I am usually pro player. It is difficult to be pro player when you don't know if the team is necessarily being cheap. Grimes has every right to maximize his income over his NBA career. The window of earning potential is finite. But at some point, you are what the market says you are. If the market was telling Grimes that his sense of himself reflects reality, he'd likely be gearing up for a trip to Abu Dhabi fresh off a sweet payday.
Deadlines spur action. His is coming soon.
