For three-plus months, Quentin Grimes and his representatives waited to receive an offer that would guarantee the guard $20 to $25 million per season.
But that’s not how things unfolded. There were no formal offer sheets for the 76ers’ restricted free agent to negotiate.
» READ MORE: Quentin Grimes accepts one-year, $8.7 million qualifying offer, ending free-agency standoff with Sixers
So before Wednesday night’s deadline to do so, he accepted his $8.7 million qualifying offer for the upcoming season. As a result, Grimes received a no-trade clause and will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
This isn’t an ideal situation for a player determined to show he deserved a lucrative long-term deal. His scoring production and overall opportunities are expected to decline with Joel Embiid and Paul George returning from last year’s injury-plagued season.
Grimes will go from being the unquestioned first option during the latter part of last season to, at best, a fourth option behind Embiid, George, and Tyrese Maxey.
The negotiation process that got us here may be surprising to some, based on how highly the team spoke of Grimes even after selecting guard VJ Edgecombe third overall in June’s NBA draft.
“I really like how things are shaping up,” Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said after the draft. “I think we’ll have one of the best backcourts in the league, with Grimes, Maxey, Jared McCain, and now VJ.
“With the way the NBA’s going, I think you saw some of these teams playing dynamic, up-tempo with multiple guards that put the defense in jeopardy.”
The Sixers even prioritized signing Grimes over unrestricted free agent Guerschon Yabusele, who eventually signed a two-year, $12.2 million contract with the New York Knicks.
» READ MORE: Sixers’ Jared McCain undergoes surgery to repair torn ligament in his right thumb
While Edgecombe has more upside, Grimes is further along in his development. As a result, the four-year NBA veteran is better suited to be a Day 1 starter alongside Maxey.
In addition, McCain could be sidelined four to six weeks after Tuesday’s surgery to repair an ulnar collateral ligament tear in his right thumb. So even if Grimes doesn’t start, the Sixers still need him from a depth standpoint.
The 6-foot-5, 205-pound combo guard gives the Sixers optionality.
In the starting lineup, he can provide spacing for Maxey, Embiid, and George. If Grimes doesn’t start, he would come off the bench to provide instant offense and solid three-point shooting. Grimes is also a solid defender and could be used as a secondary ballhandler.
Heading into free agency, there were reports that he could command a three-year deal worth $55 million to $60 million.
At the time, the team indicated that it was prepared to spend beyond the second luxury tax threshold, also known as the second apron ($207.8 million), to retain players, even with the severe penalties they could incur. As of Tuesday, the Sixers had $185.8 million tied up in active salaries.
What changed?
Morey often allows the market to determine how much he’s willing to pay to retain a restricted free agent. Not acquiring a lucrative offer sheet from another team might have doomed Grimes’ chance to get paid in Philly.
» READ MORE: Tyrese Maxey has taken a vital leadership role for the Sixers: ‘It’s just what I do. I guess I’m old.’
Looking at it from a team perspective, the Sixers didn’t want to handicap their salary cap or future with another big contract no other team was willing to provide.
In Edgecombe, they have a player who should be a starter down the road. McCain would have been the rookie of the year last season if he did not miss the final four months of last season with a torn meniscus in his left knee. There was no real reason to overpay Grimes unless they were forced to, because they already have solid players at his position.
Additionally, the Sixers already have two difficult-to-move contracts with Embiid and George. And if the duo doesn’t elevate its play from last season, this will surely be another lost season.
So it wouldn’t make sense to have $169.7 million tied into four players — Embiid ($55.2M), George ($51.6M), Maxey ($37.9M), and $Grimes ($25M) — on what could be an NBA Play-In Tournament team.
However, some argued that Grimes deserves to be paid based on his stellar play after being acquired from the Dallas Mavericks before February’s trade deadline.
He averaged career highs of 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 33.7 minutes in 28 games with 25 starts. Grimes scored a career-high 46 points against his hometown Houston Rockets on March 17 at the Toyota Center. He also scored 44 points against the Golden State Warriors on March 1 at home. Grimes had three more games with at least 30 points.
But Grimes was the primary option for a tanking team during that season-ending stretch.
» READ MORE: Sixers’ backup center role is ‘competitive’ with Andre Drummond, Adem Bona, and others in the mix
That’s why one league executive said you have to take those statistics with a grain of salt. The executive added that there are many players on tanking teams who have big games because they are meaningless. He also pointed out that those performances mainly came in losses, not in situations where Grimes elevated the Sixers.
Another executive said he likes Grimes as a rotation player, not as someone making around $20 million to $25 million per season.
So, it’s not surprising that, following three months of inaction, Grimes ended the stalemate by picking up his qualifying offer.
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