The Philadelphia 76ers and restricted free agent guard Quentin Grimes are still “very far apart” on a potential new deal, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday while on NBA Today.
“I’m told both of these sides are very far apart on a deal. 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 said.
Quentin Grimes To Miss Media Day, First Preseason Game
Bauman also told Charania that Grimes will not be attending Philadelphia’s media day this week, and he won’t travel to Abu Dhabi this weekend for the 76ers’ preseason game.
The Sixers extended an $8.7 million qualifying offer to Grimes back in June, and the general consensus among NBA insiders is that the 25-year-old will eventually sign the one-year contract.
“I can absolutely say that the Sixers — various people in the organization when asked — keep saying that Quentin Grimes is their top priority,” Jake Fischer reported last month during a Bleacher Report live stream.
“And that they are going to bring Quentin Grimes back, it’s just a matter of dollars and cents. There is some buzz of him taking the qualifying offer, too.”
Developments on restricted free agents — 76ers’ Quentin Grimes and Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga — for NBA Today: pic.twitter.com/h5gRfh8eUy
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 24, 2025
Charania also noted that the 76ers’ drafting VJ Edgecombe, in addition to Philadelphia’s recent injury history, could be making the Sixers reluctant to offer Grimes a long-term deal.
“From the 76ers’ side of this, getting VJ Edgecombe in the high lottery, obviously that changes the dynamic of their backcourt,” Charania added.
“And there is a level of uncertainty this year health-wise with key players like Joel Embiid, Paul George, and where does that leave the 76ers in terms of offering those high-value, high multi-year deals.”
Grimes Has Three Options With The 76ers
Charania explained that there are three options for Grimes at this juncture.
The first would be for him to sign an $8.6 million qualifying offer to stay with the team, the second would be a sign-and-trade, and the third would be a one-year deal worth more than the qualifying offer.
By the sounds of it, the 76ers will likely not be presenting a multi-year deal to Grimes.
This latest update is unfortunate, as Grimes is coming off the best offensive season of his NBA career.
In 75 games (35 starts) split between the Dallas Mavericks and Sixers last season, Grimes averaged a career-high 14.6 points on 46.7% shooting from the field and 38.5% from 3-point range.
After the Mavs traded him to Philadelphia, the former first-rounder averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 46.9% from the floor and 37.3% from beyond the arc.
Per Basketball Reference, Grimes also joined Tyrese Maxey, Allen Iverson, and Hal Greer as the only guards in Sixers history to average 28.5 points in a 10-game stretch.
