The biggest names in restricted free agency all remain on the open market this year.
It’s a bit on an indictment of the entire system. Chicago Bulls point guard Josh Giddey, Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Cam Thomas, Golden State Warriors power forward Jonathan Kuminga, and Philadelphia 76ers combo guard Quentin Grimes all remain unsigned as of this writing.
That quarter represents the best young players available, but thanks to a punitive luxury tax and a relative lack of cap space for every NBA squad not named the Brooklyn Nets, all have little leverage in negotiating with their current clubs.
Still, each player is holding out hope that their past performances will be enough to entice a rival team that can tender an offer their way. Either their own club will match the deal, or they’ll be free to sign elsewhere.
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In the Sixers’ case, Grimes is a bit of an enigma.
The 6-foot-4 pro proved fitfully enticing during stints with the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons between 2021-22. He was flipped to the Dallas Mavericks last summer, but was moved midseason to a tanking Philadelphia club as part of the Sixers’ deal to offload Caleb Martin.
That’s when he played well enough to justify a lucrative new salary, averaging 21.9 points on .469/.373/.752 shooting splits, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals in his 28 games for the rebuilding Sixers (25 starts).
Was that run just the result of somebody needing to score on a very injured, very bad team, or can he contribute that way on a healthy Philadelphia roster in 2025-26?
Keith Smith of Spotrac reveals that the two sides have been at odds about just how much Grimes should truly be worth.
It’s #NBAugust but that’s no longer a dead month on the NBA calendar. There’s still a lot to be decided around the league. For @spotrac I took a look at the big outstanding topics:
🏀RFAs
🏀Vet FAs
🏀Teams who have to add
🏀Teams who have to cut
Read more:https://t.co/mmAHmSi2n1— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) August 4, 2025
“Things have been largely silent with Quentin Grimes and the Philadelphia 76ers. Early on, it was posited that Grimes wanted a deal worth $20-25 million AAV [average annual value],” Smith writes. “The counter was that the Sixers wanted Grimes on something in the $15 million AAV range. Since then, things have gone quiet.”
There are massive tax implications riding on Grimes’ impending next price tag, as Smith details.
“Unlike Giddey and the Bulls, Grimes and the Sixers seem to be fairly far apart on a new deal,” Smith reveals. “Re-signing Grimes to anything north of $15 million will put Philadelphia over the second apron. Going to anything near $25 million will likely mean that the 76ers will finish the season as a second-apron team, barring a major salary-shedding move. That’s the gap these two need to bridge.”
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