Not even 30 days ago, Quentin Grimes scoring 30 points in a game was news in itself. The Sixers' newcomer had only done so twice in three-plus years as an NBA player when he arrived in Philadelphia, but there he was on Feb. 12 in Brooklyn, scoring 30 points in a frustrating loss to the Nets. Grimes sat in the visiting locker room at Barclays Center and discussed his desire to show he was a more skilled player than he has had the opportunity to display, hoping his strong night in Brooklyn was just the start.
And indeed, Grimes has tacked on another three games with 30-plus points in the month since — including a 44-point masterpiece on March 1 — and in a very short period of time, the Sixers' primary trade deadline acquisition has significantly altered the perception of who he is as a player. In 15 games with the Sixers, Grimes has averaged 19.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He has done all of this on terrific efficiency, posting a 61.4 true shooting percentage that is considerably higher than league average.
When the Sixers traded Caleb Martin to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Grimes — also regaining their valuable 2025 second-round pick and sending out their 2030 second-rounder in the process — they expected Grimes to be a steady presence in their guard and wing rotation. A high-quality three-point shooter with a strong defensive acumen and the occasional ability to score off the dribble, Grimes fit the mold of a role player who can fit alongside any stars, particularly the ones the Sixers are building around.
Now, as Grimes is exactly one month from completing his fourth NBA season as a member of his fourth NBA organization, the 24-year-old looks more like a building block than a supporting cast member. While sustaining the three-point shooting and defensive production that made him a coveted piece for the Sixers before he enters restricted free agency, Grimes has showed massive growth as an on-ball scorer and ball-handler, creating shots for himself and others at a level far higher than anyone has expected.
After rewatching it, I think Quentin Grimes' 30-point night in Minnesota might have been more impressive than his 44-point game vs. GSW, just because he had to create so much on his own. I uploaded a bunch of encouraging clips to @SixersAdamClips, here's a supercut of those: pic.twitter.com/1CNc1dpsdE
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) March 6, 2025
Because of the nature of restricted free agency, players who fall under the umbrella rarely end up switching teams over the summer. If a restricted free agent signs what is called an "offer sheet" with another team, their incumbent organization has the right to match the deal. The Sixers traded Martin, a role player they coveted in the prior summer with another three affordable years left on his contract after this one, for Grimes; clearly they did so with the intention of making Grimes a long-term part of their group (even if his recent explosion was unforeseen).
Naturally, Grimes' surge has stoked some fear that he could command the sort of contract that the Sixers did not anticipate needing to hand out, rendering them incapable of keeping him around. Are those fears valid? To some degree, but because of the NBA's expected salary cap environment this summer, the Sixers being priced out on Grimes feels unlikely.
For teams without significant cap space, their capacity to pay an external free agent like Grimes tops out at the non-taxpayer's mid-level exception, which can be maximized at four years and is projected to be worth a hair over $60 million:
| Season | Salary |
| 2025-26 | $14,104,000 |
| 2026-27 | $14,809,200 |
| 2027-28 | $15,514,400 |
| 2028-29 | $16,219,600 |
| Total | $60,647,200 |
A handful of teams would be eligible to use their full MLE — hard-capping them at the first apron for the remainder of the league year. But while this hypothetical offer sheet for Grimes is certainly worth at least a bit more money on an annual basis than the Sixers likely expected to pay him when they made the trade with Dallas, it is in no way a cumbersome total. Even if Grimes had not broken out as a scorer, the Sixers would likely have felt compelled to match such a deal. With Grimes looking like a true three-level threat with the ball in his hands, this would still be one of the more team-friendly contracts in the NBA. A commitment of $60 million over four years will not scare the Sixers away from Grimes in the slightest.
So, how can another team offer Grimes more money than this — enough that the Sixers actually have to consider whether or not matching an offer sheet is in their best interest? The answer is to have a massive boatload of cap space and sign Grimes to an offer sheet that blows his expected market out of the market, then put all of the bells and whistles on it: a front-loaded structure, a trade bonus, a player option, and any other kinks that would make it extremely inconvenient for the Sixers if they matched it. The Utah Jazz put together an all-time bizarre structure when inking Paul Reed to an offer sheet a few summers ago in an attempt to persuade the Sixers not to match; they did so regardless.
As things stand now, there is only one team expected to have the capacity to pull off this sort of gambit. Ironically, it is the team against which Grimes' scoring breakout began. Brooklyn is expected to not just be the only team with significant cap space this summer, but they are projected to end up with anywhere between $50 million and $75 million to play with this summer, and that is before possible trades of sought-after veterans Nic Claxton ($25.3 million salary) and Cameron Johnson ($20.5 million salary) which could drive that number up.
Because the Nets do not yet appear intent on contending, the flexing of their financial muscles will likely come in the form of accumulating young talent and/or taking on other teams' unwanted salaries and collection additional draft picks in the process. They also have two priority restricted free agents of their own in Cam Thomas and Day'Ron Sharpe (if the Nets keep the cap holds of both players on the books, they will be closer to $50 million in cap space before making any trades).
- MORE SIXERS
- Rookie, hometown kid Justin Edwards is guarding the NBA's best players, and 'he's not backing down at all'
- How a benching and conversations with Nick Nurse helped Kelly Oubre Jr. evolve as a scorer
- Diving into Grimes' emergence as a scorer and ball-handler
Suddenly, one could make a case that Grimes is one of the single most appealing options for a Brooklyn team with a clear commitment to the defensive end under head coach Jordi Fernández and multiple holes in its backcourt. A few of the other options among soon-to-be restricted free agent include Golden State Warriors wing Jonathan Kuminga and Memphis Grizzlies big Santi Aldama. Even if one is to argue that Grimes is not the single most attractive piece among those three, the Nets actually could have the bandwidth to ink two offer sheets, especially if they trade Claxton or Johnson.
So, just as the Nets have become the primary threat to the Sixers' apparent pursuit of holding onto their top-six protected first-round pick, Brooklyn could become the Sixers' main adversary when it comes to striking a long-term deal with Grimes should they identify him as a player of interest in a market in which they have all of the leverage.
All of this is not meant to convey that the Sixers should be living in fear of losing Grimes. In fact, the opposite is true: because only the Nets have the capacity to even make the Sixers sweat, the outlook for the Sixers in terms of keeping their home run of a trade acquisition is very strong.
Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam
Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice