There’s increased pressure on the Sixers to hang onto unrestricted free agent Quentin Grimes this offseason after the team traded another guard – Jared McCain – to Oklahoma City at the February deadline, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
As Bontemps points out, re-signing Grimes and free agent wing Kelly Oubre Jr. would likely push Philadelphia’s team salary well into luxury tax territory, and the team has resisted paying the tax in recent years. But according to Bontemps, rival executives believe the Sixers will try to sign both players, with Grimes potentially getting a salary around the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($15MM).
“I do think he stays there out of pressure,” a Western Conference executive told ESPN. “You have to keep at least one of (Grimes or Oubre), if not both, after that (McCain) trade. And if they don’t go into the tax, they’re going to get crushed.”
Here’s more on the 76ers:
- While Dominick Barlow‘s game has some holes – including his three-point shot – the fourth-year forward proved in 2025/26 that he’s a rotation-caliber NBA player, says Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com. The Sixers hold a $3.4MM team option for ’26/27 on Barlow, who averaged 7.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in 23.8 minutes per game across 71 appearances (59 starts) this past season.
- In two additional stories for PhillyVoice.com, Aaronson also evaluates the performances the 76ers got this season from Oubre and forward Trendon Watford, weighing what comes next for each player. As Aaronson writes, Philadelphia may be able to get a more favorable annual salary on Oubre by signing him to a multiyear deal, but the team will have to determine how many guaranteed years it’s comfortable offering. As for Watford, the club will have to make a decision on his $2.8MM option for ’26/27.
- Gina Mizell, Gabriela Carroll, and David Murphy of The Philadelphia Inquirer answer a handful of questions about the 76ers’ offseason, with Mizell and Carroll both viewing Oubre – not Grimes – as the team’s most important free agent. Murphy, meanwhile, argues neither player should be a priority to retain unless he’s willing to accept a team-friendly contract.
Rory Maher contributed to this article.