According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Quentin Grimes will remain with the Philadelphia 76ers on a one-year qualifying offer ($8.7 million). The 25-year-old is thus the last of the large RFA group around Josh Giddey, Jonathan Kuminga, and Cam Thomas to sign a new contract.
The one-year deal gives Grimes veto power over trades in the 2025-26 season and opens the door for him to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026 – in a market where several teams are expected to have significant cap space. Philadelphia also retains its Bird rights, allowing it to keep sign-and-trade scenarios open next offseason.
The agreement followed tough negotiations: According to agent David Bauman, Grimes’ side initially wanted a package in the $30 million range per year, later $20-25 million. The Sixers did not submit their first formal offer until September 24 (four years/$39 million), then offered one year/$8.8 million in exchange for waiving the no-trade clause. Philadelphia rejected Grimes’ side’s counteroffer (1 year/$17 million without no-trade clause or 2 years/$34 million with player option). The qualifying offer deadline was Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. ET. In 28 games for Philly, he averaged 21.9 points and 4.5 assists, setting career highs in points (14.6), rebounds (4.3), assists (3.0), and steals (1.0) – including five 30-point and two 40-point games. His role is likely to remain significant at the start of the season, as rookie Jared McCain (thumb surgery) will be out for four to six weeks.
Ongoing injury concerns for the Sixers – “Big Four” now complete
Roster context: The Sixers selected VJ Edgecombe with the third pick in the draft and are navigating the offseason with caution following injuries to Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Jared McCain. Grimes previously played for the Knicks, Pistons, and Mavericks, among others, before being traded to Philadelphia in February.
With this signing, the RFA “Big Four” is complete: Josh Giddey re-signed with the Bulls (4 years/$100 million), Jonathan Kuminga remains with the Warriors (2 years/$48.5 million), and Cam Thomas accepted the Nets’ one-year, $6 million qualifying offer. One reason for the tough RFA phase: due to a lack of cap space at most teams – at times, effectively only at Brooklyn – there were no offer sheets to use as leverage.