On the final day he could accept it, Quentin Grimes decided to sign the Sixers’ qualifying offer and end his restricted free agency.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday afternoon that Grimes will return to the team for one season at the $8.7 million qualifying offer salary and with an inherent no-trade clause. The Sixers announced that they re-signed Grimes hours later.
Discussions between Grimes’ camp and the Sixers continued through training camp, but the two sides couldn’t find common ground on either a one-year “balloon” deal or a longer-term contract.
The Sixers’ qualifying offer would have expired Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. ET. Grimes will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
After acquiring the 25-year-old guard at last season’s trade deadline, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey was open about his plan to re-sign Grimes.
“We’re excited to bring him back,” Morey said at media day last week. “Quentin’s a big part of what we’re trying to do now and into the future, if we can get things resolved.”
With the Sixers dismally shorthanded and on their way to a 24-58 record, Grimes thrived in a high-usage, do-it-all role during the second half of the 2024-25 season. When he joined the Sixers, Grimes believed he could do much more than a 3-and-D job.
“I feel like this whole year in Dallas, I showed I’m capable of playing on the ball, off the ball, making a lot of plays with my teammates out,” he said on Feb. 7. “Luka (Doncic) out or Kyrie (Irving) out, I can step in and fill that role.
“I feel like I can do that here, just playing with the ball in my hands — making plays for Joel (Embiid) and (Paul George), getting guys involved, or getting myself involved off the dribble.”
Over 28 games last year with the Sixers, Grimes averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists. He shot 46.9 percent from the floor, 37.3 percent from three-point range and 75.2 percent at the foul line. Highlights included a 44-point performance in a win over the Warriors and a career-high 46-point night in the Sixers’ double-overtime loss to the Rockets.
The Sixers will presumably hope Grimes is able to build chemistry this year with fellow guards Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain and VJ Edgecombe, although McCain is out after undergoing surgery to repair a UCL tear in his right thumb.
Grimes did not fly with the Sixers for their preseason trip to Abu Dhabi for games vs. the Knicks on Thursday and Saturday. The team’s regular-season opener is Oct. 22 against the Celtics.
Signing Grimes puts the Sixers at 14 players on standard contracts, which is one under the maximum. They’ve used their three two-way contract slots on Dominick Barlow, Jabari Walker and Hunter Sallis.