Sixers Notes: Grimes, Barlow, Oubre, Watford, Offseason
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.
Sixers Notes: 22nd Pick, McCain, Drummond, Grimes
The Sixers have the 22nd pick in the 2026 draft and could use a rookie who can come in and contribute right away. But the team has an even more pressing concern: finalizing their next head of basketball operations.
Bob Myers, the president of the Sixers’ ownership group, would ideally like that decision to be made before the team is on the clock, but he’s not setting anything in stone, Adam Aaronson writes for PhillyVoice.com.
“If it hasn’t happened, that’s okay, too,” Myers said. “But the goal would be to have someone in place for the draft to get acclimated with the new group… whoever we hire, not sure who that will be, will likely, possibly already be evaluating the draft from where they’re coming from … But yeah, I’d like to, and I hope to, but it’ll be as much time as required to get the best person. Because again … the goal would be to have someone that’s the right person for a long amount of time after that.“
In terms of which prospects are being tied to the Sixers, there’s an emphasis among draft analysts on getting the team either a forward to address its thin depth on the wing or a center who can help solidify the position if and when Joel Embiid misses time.
Allen Graves, a raw forward from Santa Clara with intriguing defensive play-making, Dailyn Swain, a slashing wing from Texas, and Luigi Suigo, a 7’3″ giant out of Italy with interesting offensive upside, are all players who have been mocked to Philadelphia at No. 22.
Given that the Sixers have three players on max contracts, two of whom have some level of injury risk, drafting someone who can help right away is particularly important for this franchise, Gina Mizell says in a video for the Philly Inquirer about storylines for the offseason.
We have more from the Sixers:
- Jared McCain could have held a grudge against the Sixers and Daryl Morey after the team’s former president of basketball operations said he “sold high” on the young guard when trading him to the Thunder. But after his 24-point explosion in a Game 3 win over the Spurs, McCain chose the high road. “It’s never to prove anybody wrong. I try to keep a positive outlook. I like proving my support system right, the people who really believed in me, I like proving them right,” McCain said, per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter video link). “… Daryl’s still the guy that drafted me, so I’ll always have love for him for that. He trusted me, believed in me enough to take me at the 16th spot, so I’m forever grateful for that, no matter what.”
- Andre Drummond had an interesting season for the Sixers, performing well at the beginning and end of the year despite long stretches where he was relatively ineffective, Aaronson writes. Drummond managed to turn himself into something of a stretch five and is still a good rebounder, though he’s not nearly as elite on the boards as he once was. The question is whether the team can upgrade his spot on the cheap, given its lack of financial flexibility. If the answer is no, Drummond could find himself reunited with the team he has played over 100 games for over the last two seasons.
- After signing his qualifying offer following a lengthy game of chicken in restricted free agency last summer, Quentin Grimes was not able to recapture the magic he showed late in the 2024/25 season, writes Aaronson in his end-of-season review. Instead of proving himself to be a team cornerstone, he instead showed that he was more of a solid rotation player. While they could technically keep both free agents, the Sixers will most likely want to choose one of Grimes or Kelly Oubre Jr. to retain next season, according to Aaronson. That’s a complicated decision for several reasons. Oubre was more established this season in his role and will likely be cheaper than Grimes, who is younger and a better shooter. However, the team holds Grimes’ full Bird rights, which gives them more flexibility to sign him after trying to fill other holes. There’s also the question of whether Grimes would want to stay. There’s a lack of upward mobility in the backcourt pecking order behind Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, and last summer’s protracted negotiation that didn’t result in a deal may have soured him on Philadelphia, though the departure of Morey could help smooth over any lingering resentment that remains.
Atlantic Notes: Sixers Free Agents, Nets Rookies, Brunsons
The Sixers‘ core four of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Paul George, and Joel Embiid are all under contract for next season, but three of their rotation players are unrestricted free agents: Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Andre Drummond.
Grimes had an up-and-down season, with career-low three-point efficiency despite some strong stretches of play, particularly in March, when Maxey was injured, Gina Mizell writes for the Philadelphia Inquirer. After signing a qualifying offer last summer, it’s unclear where his relationship stands with the organization, which is currently searching for its next head of basketball ops. His potential departure could leave the once-stocked guard rotation very thin.
Meanwhile, Oubre was able to find a home in Philadelphia and it’s unclear what kind of market he’ll see this summer.
“The game of basketball has reinvented itself to me through different lenses and different eyes throughout my tenure here, and I’m forever appreciative for the opportunity to play for this city,” he said.
We have more from around the Atlantic Division:
- Entering the 2025 draft with five first-round picks, the Nets had hopes that they could jump-start their rebuild. After somewhat surprisingly using all five selections, Brooklyn was shut out of the 2026 All-Rookie awards, with only Egor Demin receiving votes. The Nets didn’t bring in these five players in order to make All-Rookie teams, C.J. Holmes writes for the New York Daily News, but the voting exemplifies how far away the franchise still is from turning things around, especially given that they fell to No. 6 in the 2026 draft lottery. While they don’t need all five of the 2025 rookies to hit, they do need to see proof moving forward that at least a couple of them can become real rotation players.
- A public confrontation between Jalen Brunson and his father, Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson, during Game 4 of the first round immediately became social media fodder. The heated, yet respectful, exchange was nothing dramatic, however, but rather a natural part of the competitive father-son duo’s dynamic, going back to when Rick began coaching at the University of Virginia in 2007, Ian Begley writes for SNY. The elder Brunson would give his son no quarter as he put him through training, looking to see how he would respond. “I wanted to see if he would fold or if he would keep coming back,” Rick said. “Are you going to give in? Are you going to talk back? Or are you just going to work and keep showing that you can do it? I would always tell him, ‘This is what a college coach is going to do — the difference is I love you, he doesn’t.'” To the surprise of no one who has watched the Villanova champion’s career trajectory, he kept coming back.
- In case you missed it, we relayed several Knicks notes this morning in the wake of their Game 2 win over Cleveland.
Sixers Notes: Edgecombe, Maxey, Offseason
The Sixers‘ season ended in disappointing fashion on Sunday, as the team was thoroughly outplayed — and swept — by New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. If there’s a reason to believe in the 76ers’ future, it’s largely due to the impressive play of rookie VJ Edgecombe, writes Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports.
“Playing against the Celtics to now against New York, it was tricky. I was guarded differently,” Edgecombe said on Sunday. “I’m gonna take some time, look back at it after a couple of weeks or so.
“I refuse for, coming into next year, a team won’t ever leave me open. Even during the regular season, I was shooting the ball pretty well, and the playoffs come, and it’s just a different vibe, you know? Intensity’s higher, closeouts are a lot quicker, but I’m going to go in, and I’m gonna work. I’m gonna work. I’m gonna work. I’m going to do whatever I got to do to get better, make life easier for [Tyrese Maxey] and the rest of my teammates, take some of the pressure off some of the load offensively off of them.”
In addition to offensive improvements, the 6’4″ guard hopes to continue honing his craft on the defensive end as well, per Neubeck.
“Defensively, I’m gonna keep getting better, keep learning. For the rest of my career, I want to go out and say I can go guard whoever I have to go guard,” Edgecombe said. “I’m just excited to see how this offseason is gonna look for me, and next year I’m coming back better, stronger, faster, more athletic, whatever I gotta do.”
Here’s more from Philadelphia:
- Maxey had an excellent season for the Sixers and will almost certainly earn his first All-NBA berth in 2025/26, but he struggled with double-teams and traps in the second-round matchup vs. the Knicks, according to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Maxey is hoping he’ll be able to play off the ball more often in 2026/27 as Edgecombe works on initiating the offense. “When you’re in front of the defense all the time,” Maxey said. “ … it gives [the opponent] opportunities that have the entire team kind of load up. And I feel like that’s one thing that really good players and great players can do. They can be on the ball [and] make plays on the ball, but they can also play off the ball and contribute that way, use their gravity that way.”
- Although The Athletic reported on Monday that president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and head coach Nick Nurse could be dismissed, Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice doesn’t expect that to happen after the 3-1 first-round comeback against Boston. Still, he acknowledges the possibility can’t be ruled out after the 76ers were swept in the second round. Aaronson also provides an overview of the team’s offseason, noting that Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond are the 76ers’ primary free agents.
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks previews the Sixers’ offseason, writing that they’ll likely be over the first tax apron if they re-sign Grimes and Oubre. Gauging the trade market for Joel Embiid and Paul George to build around Maxey and Edgecombe would be an ideal outcome for Philadelphia, but Marks views that scenario as unlikely given how much money those two aging stars are owed.
Celtics/Sixers Notes: Edgecombe, George, Unlikely Heroes, More
The Sixers‘ star rookie, VJ Edgecombe, has generated his share of memorable moments during his first year in the league. Many of those have come in Boston’s TD Garden, prompting the question of whether he has one more big performance vs. the Celtics in him this year in Saturday’s Game 7 matchup, Adam Aaronson writes for PhillyVoice.
“It’s crazy to think about it,” Edgecombe said. “The first game was here. Now we’re in the playoffs playing here. I feel like I’ve been in this building a lot now, and this is my first year… Boston’s a good team, so I know that it’s going to be a real competitive game. So everything else is going to be out the window. All previous times we played here is out of the window. It’s all just focused on tonight.”
The young guard has been particularly impactful once Joel Embiid returned to play, showing improved efficiency despite a lower shot total, DeAntae Prince writes for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
“That’s Joel Embiid, if we’re being so honest. He’s just so good. I don’t think anyone can guard him one-on-one,” Edgecombe said. “So I just try to make his job easier by getting open looks or an if it’s an available pass, the outlet pass.”
We have more notes regarding Game 7:
- Paul George has been upgraded to available for the Sixers, Tony Jones notes for The Athletic (Twitter link). The star wing had previously been added to the injury report as probable due to an illness. George has averaged 18.2 points in 36.3 minutes per game through the first six games of the series.
- If there’s one buzzword the Celtics are focusing on coming into the matchup, it’s “comfortable,” Steve Buckley writes for The Athletic. As in: “[The Sixers’] comfort level is higher right now,” per Jaylen Brown. “Their confidence is high right now. They’ve got a different swag to them, and we’ve gotta take that (away).” Or as in: “I thought Edgecombe was just too comfortable [in Game 2],” Brown said again. If Boston wants to come out of this series, especially without Jayson Tatum, who was a late scratch for Game 7, they need to stop looking past the Sixers and focus on their own missteps in the series, Buckley says.
- The anything-can-happen nature of a Game 7 can result in unlikely heroes, Aaronson writes. As an example, in 2022, Grant Williams‘ 27 points for the Celtics helped seal a Game 7 victory over the Bucks. Aaronson examines some potential candidates for the Sixers, ultimately landing on Quentin Grimes, Andre Drummond, and, as a dark-horse option, Justin Edwards.
- Home-court advantage is a popular topic late in the season as teams fight for seeding, but the Celtics, in recent years, have seemed more dominant on the road than in TD Garden. Robb examines the phenomenon in a recent mailbag, positing that Boston players may let their guard down a bit in the comfort of their home arena, relying on three-pointers and “home-run plays,” instead of a greater sense of urgency and intentionality.
Eastern Notes: Embiid, Grimes, Schröder, Cavaliers
Less than three weeks after an emergency appendectomy, Joel Embiid was the best player on the court as the Sixers staved off elimination in Tuesday’s Game 5 victory at Boston, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic.
“I was proud of him tonight,” said Tyrese Maxey, who finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. “To see him go out there under those circumstances and play like that — he was dominant, especially in the second half. He did a great job of inserting himself into the game. He carried us tonight.”
The seven-time All-Star started the game slowly, only converting one of his first seven field goal attempts. However, he made 11 of his next 16 attempts, finishing 12-of-23, and went 9-of-10 from the foul line for a total of 33 points. Embiid also contributed eight assists and four rebounds, but most importantly he was a mismatch down low and the Celtics had no answers to stop him, Jones writes.
“I don’t want to go home,” Embiid said. “That’s one of the reasons I’m glad we won tonight. Because I didn’t want to go home and look back this summer and wonder what could have happened if I were healthy. I’ve dealt with a lot of stuff in my career. I want to give this all that I can.
“We were better defensively tonight than we had been. It’s a little easier when you’re making shots. When I started the game, me taking jumpers wasn’t working. I had to adjust. I wanted to impose myself and get into the paint a little bit more. When I’m playing one-on-one, I feel good about my chances of scoring on anyone in this league.”
As Embiid alluded to, Philadelphia held Boston to just 97 points on Tuesday after the Celtics blitzed the 76ers 128-97 in Game 4.
The 32-year-old center is probable to suit up for Thursday’s Game 6 in Philadelphia, per Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Boston’s bench had outplayed Philadelphia’s reserves through the first four games of their first-round series, but Sixers guard Quentin Grimes helped flipped that script in Game 5, writes Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The impending free agent scored a highly efficient 18 points in 24 minutes while playing strong perimeter defense, Mizell notes. “Obviously, he gave us a great lift on both ends,” head coach Nick Nurse said of Grimes on Wednesday. “ … I’m glad he kind of looked more like himself.“
- Veteran point guard Dennis Schröder didn’t play much in the first four games of the Cavaliers‘ matchup with Toronto, averaging just 11.3 MPG, but he spoke up at halftime of Game 5 after Cleveland gave up 74 points in the first half and then played the entire fourth quarter to help lead the team to a comeback victory, as Jamal Collier of ESPN details. The 32-year-old German urged his teammates to bring more energy and assertiveness and to play through big men Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, according to Collier. Schröder had 19 points in 21 minutes, including 11 in the final period as the Cavs outscored the Raptors 25-17.
- While the Cavaliers showed some promising signs in Tuesday’s win, particularly in the fourth quarter, the fact that they’ve struggled for most of the the past three games may not bode well for the rest of the playoffs, argues Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. According to Lloyd, the Cavs will have to do more than eke out a home win against a banged-up Raptors team to prove their mettle, which has been repeatedly questioned the last few years following early postseason exits.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Embiid, Grimes, Ingram, CMB
The nine players the Knicks used in Thursday’s win over Boston will likely make up the team’s playoff rotation, head coach Mike Brown said after the game, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. That group includes starters Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Miles Bridges and Josh Hart, plus reserves Mitchell Robinson, Miles McBride, Landry Shamet, and Jordan Clarkson.
“Those guys are probably our top nine when you’re talking about the playoffs,” Brown said. “And it’s hard to play more than nine guys (in the playoffs).”
While it’s probably no shock that rookie forward Mohamed Diawara and second-year guard Tyler Kolek didn’t make the cut, it’s notable that veteran guard Jose Alvarado – whom New York gave up a couple second-round picks to acquire in February – isn’t among that top nine. The former Pelican has been a DNP-CD in each of the Knicks’ past two games, but he suggested on Thursday that he’s unfazed by his declining role.
“I’m good. I’m chilling. I’m ready for my moment. I’m ready for my name to get called, whenever it is,” Alvarado said, according to Bondy. “Like you said, I started off here high. That was the best way to start. So there’s only one way to go — down. We just stay there mentally. This is my home team. I love the organization, I love the Knicks. So just whenever it’s Jose’s time, whenever that time is, I’m ready.”
Here’s more from out of the Atlantic:
- Joel Embiid‘s emergency appendectomy changes everything for the Sixers, making the team’s path to a playoff spot more difficult and significantly reducing its odds of winning a series, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. The 76ers issued an update on Embiid on Friday, announcing that he’s returning to Philadelphia following a successful procedure in Houston, but no timeline has been set for his return to basketball activities (Twitter link via Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports).
- Quentin Grimes will be an unrestricted free agent this summer after accepting his one-year qualifying offer as a RFA last offseason. The Sixers guard’s role has fluctuated throughout the season with teammates in and out of the lineup, per Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer, but Grimes recently described his performance in 2025/26 as “solid” and he believes he “maximized” his opportunities. “Be in attack mode. Be a good on-ball defender. Make plays for myself and teammates,” Grimes said last week. “The whole year has asked for me to do different things. But I feel like, when the whole team’s healthy, my natural self is still playing my same game I’ve been playing the whole year.”
- There was some uncertainty entering the fall about what the Raptors could expect from forward Brandon Ingram – who missed most of last season due to ankle injury – and lottery pick Collin Murray-Boyles, who wasn’t viewed as an immediate difference-maker at the NBA level. But Toronto has gotten near best-case outcomes from both players, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, who says Ingram’s All-Star play and Murray-Boyles’ rapid development have helped get Toronto on the verge of its first playoff appearance since 2022. The Raptors can clinch a playoff berth with a win over New York on Friday, but they’ll be missing Murray-Boyles (neck sprain) and point guard Immanuel Quickley (plantar fasciitis injury management), tweets Grange.
Rory Maher contributed to this post.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Atlantic Division
For the rest of the regular season and postseason, Hoops Rumors is taking a closer look at players who will be free agents – or could become free agents – during the 2026 offseason. We’ll consider whether each player’s stock is rising or falling due to his performance and several other factors.
Today, we’re focusing on a handful of players in the Atlantic Division, starting with a former second-round pick having a breakout season.
Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey Returns Saturday
The Sixers announced (via Twitter) that Tyrese Maxey will return to action for Saturday’s game at Charlotte, which carries huge stakes in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
The All-Star guard will be back on the court after missing the past 10 games with a tendon injury in his right pinkie finger. The team stated on March 10 that Maxey would be reevaluated in three weeks, so he was able to return slightly ahead of schedule.
Having Maxey back on the court will be a huge addition for the seventh-place Sixers, who are fighting to escape the play-in tournament at 40-33. Philadelphia is only one game away from moving up to fifth, but is just a game-and-a-half ahead of 10th-place Miami.
Before the injury, Maxey was in the midst of his best NBA season, topping the Sixers in scoring at 29 points per game and leading the league in both minutes played (38.3) and steals (2.0) per contest. He’s also averaging 6.7 assists per game while posting .461/.373/.893 shooting numbers and has formed one of the league’s best young backcourts alongside rookie VJ Edgecombe.
Tonight will be Maxey’s 62nd game of the season, so he’ll only need to appear in three of the final eight to reach the 65-game requirement to qualify for postseason awards. He’s a strong candidate for All-NBA honors after being named Most Improved Player in 2023/24 and finishing tied for 10th in the Clutch Player balloting last season.
Maxey’s return will force Quentin Grimes back to a reserve role after he started the past 12 games he has played. Cameron Payne and Justin Edwards could also see their playing time reduced.
Atlantic Notes: Murray-Boyles, Nets, Knicks, Edgecombe
Raptors rookie forward Collin Murray-Boyles has missed the team’s past eight games due to a sprained left thumb, but his return shouldn’t be far off. According to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link), Murray-Boyles took part in practice on Tuesday, with the club set to assess how he responds to that session before determining whether he’ll be available for Wednesday’s game in Chicago.
Even if Murray-Boyles isn’t cleared to play tomorrow, head coach Darko Rajakovic expects to have him back at some point during the upcoming five-game road trip, which begins on Wednesday and runs through next Wednesday in L.A., tweets Lewenberg.
Murray-Boyles had emerged as a key contributor for Toronto prior to the injury. He has started 18 of his last 19 outings, averaging 9.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.3 steals in 27.7 minutes per game while shooting 60.3% from the floor during that stretch.
Here are a few more items of interest from across the Atlantic:
- Eric Koreen of The Athletic wonders if this year’s Raptors are the equivalent of last season’s Pistons, a limited offensive team without enough shooting that nonetheless played a scrappy brand of basketball, exceeded expectations, ended a postseason drought, and pushed a higher seed in the first round of the playoffs.
- There are five “touch points” that will determine how quickly the Nets accelerate their rebuild, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post: How their rookies develop, where their lottery pick ends up, the results of the upcoming postseason, whether a star becomes available, and how free agency plays out.
- In a mailbag, Ian Begley of SNY.tv outlines why Knicks head coach Mike Brown is reluctant to make changes to a struggling starting five and notes that Mikal Bridges has played a key role in the club’s defensive turnaround while slumping offensively.
- With Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Paul George all unavailable, the Sixers have won three of their last four games with young role players like VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes, and Justin Edwards leading the way, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. As Jones observes, Edgecombe is gaining important reps as Philadelphia’s go-to scorer, which could serve him well down the road. “I was being double-teamed against Brooklyn,” Edgecombe said, referring to Saturday’s game in which he scored 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting. “I had never been doubled in my life. I guess I just have to go back and look at the film.”