Quentin Grimes, Guerschon Yabusele top 76ers' offseason to-do list. Can they keep both?

New York Times

7 days ago

As free agency looms Monday evening over the NBA landscape, the Philadelphia 76ers have two players — Quentin Grimes and Guerschon Yabusele — who are a priority.
Because of Philly's finances, the Sixers may be able to only keep one of them in the fold.
Grimes came over at the trade deadline in a swap that's now bordering on highway robbery. The Sixers were able to trade Caleb Martin to the Dallas Mavericks for Grimes and the No. 35 pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, a pick they used to select Johni Broome. Grimes emerged as the Sixers' starting shooting guard over the final third of the season and was arguably the best player in a Philadelphia uniform in March.
Advertisement
Yabusele was signed last summer and was an afterthought until he became one of Philadelphia's most versatile and important players during the season. Both are important to the Sixers going forward. President of basketball operations Daryl Morey said as much Wednesday night.
But here is the financial conundrum for the Sixers: They have access to the non-taxpayer midlevel exception worth $14.1 million, but if they offer more than $5.7 million, they would be hard-capped at the first tax apron, which comes with a harsh penalty. That could allow a team to swoop in and offer Yabusele more than the $5.7 million number, and there would be little the Sixers could do about it.
Philadelphia has more wiggle room to re-sign Grimes because the Sixers own his full Bird rights. They do not have Yabusele's Bird rights, which means they can only offer him a 120 percent raise above his 2024-25 salary of a little more than $2 million. When the Sixers signed Yabusele, not many could have predicted his impact. He outplayed his value, and because of that, Philadelphia is in peril of losing him in free agency.
Two years ago, this scenario happened to the Denver Nuggets, who did not own Bird rights on Bruce Brown. They watched Brown become an integral part of their championship run and then lost him in free agency to the Indiana Pacers. In many ways, the Nuggets still haven't recovered from that loss.
Saturday afternoon, in a move first reported by The Athletic, the Sixers tendered Grimes an $8.7 million qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent. That will allow Philadelphia to match any offer Grimes gets on the open free-agent market. But as of Saturday night, it looks as if the Sixers will need to figure things out financially if they want to have a chance at keeping Grimes and Yabusele in the fold.
The good news? Grimes and Yabusele both have legitimate interest in returning to Philadelphia. The Sixers have been in contact with Grimes and his camp, although the price may end up being steep. Grimes is looking for a contract that averages $25 million per season, league sources tell The Athletic. He has emerged as a dynamic scoring guard, and he gives the Sixers a mix of the ability to shoot from the perimeter and get to the basket and put pressure on the rim off the dribble. Last season, Philadelphia had too little of both skill sets on its roster.
Advertisement
Grimes is important to the Sixers because they need to retain all the talent they can — and he has emerged as a talent. Between Grimes, Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain and the newly drafted VJ Edgecombe, the strength of Philadelphia's roster resides in its backcourt. Grimes is versatile enough to move to the small forward spot, which would allow head coach Nick Nurse to employ three-guard lineups. He's someone who also defends well enough to make an impact at the point of attack.
But losing Yabusele would be a big blow. Big men who can play center and power forward in this league and who can also shoot the ball from the perimeter are rare. He became a fixture in the frontcourt through Joel Embiid's injury issues last season. If he isn't on the roster, the Sixers currently do not have a natural power forward on their team.
On Saturday, center Andre Drummond opted into the final year of his contract. The Sixers probably need to find a taker for the final year of that contract through a trade. The cost to Morey likely will be sending out draft capital, but if he's successful at the salary dump, it could open more financial room.
On Sunday, Philadelphia will find out if Kelly Oubre Jr. and Eric Gordon will opt into the final seasons of their respective contracts, as well. Drummond likely does not have a role on the Sixers' 2025 team, particularly with the drafting of Broome, who now projects as the third center on the roster behind Embiid and youngster Adem Bona, who had a terrific end to his rookie season. Oubre and Gordon are to be determined, but the emergence of wing Justin Edwards — who the Sixers locked into a three-year deal this weekend — makes both a bit more expendable.
As the offseason truly begins on Monday, the Sixers know they are competing in an Eastern Conference that looks wide open next season. That makes Grimes and Yabusele all the more important. It also makes the potential decisions of the next few days all the more fascinating.
(Photo of Quentin Grimes: Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE via Getty Images)