Quentin Grimes, 76ers negotiating new contract but remain far apart on longer deal

Quentin Grimes and the Philadelphia 76ers would both love to work out a four-year contract that would lock in the 25-year-old guard who was one of the few bright spots for the team after the trade deadline. The problem is that the sides view the money side of the deal very differently.

Which means Grimes could end up taking the $8.7 million qualifying offer and becoming a free agent next summer. The sides are talking, but that doesn’t mean they are close to a deal, reports Tony Jones of The Athletic.

Grimes has two offers on the table, according to sources. One is the qualifying offer, which is worth one year and $8.7 million. The other is a one-year balloon payment, which is designed for Grimes to waive the no-trade clause that would be attached to him accepting the qualifying offer.

The 76ers, league sources say, want to work out a long-term, four-year deal with Grimes, which is something that Grimes would actually be amenable to. The issue is what the money would be, and right now, the two sides are far apart on that.

Grimes reportedly was seeking something in the $20 million a season range from Philly, which wanted something less, considering it is currently just $1.7 million below the luxury tax line and may not want to cross that threshold without a sign this team can stay healthy and live up to its potential.

In 28 games with Philly last season, Grimes averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists a game. 76ers fans were dreaming of a guard rotation featuring Tyrese Maxey, Grimes, a healthy Jared McCain and just-drafted VJ Edgecombe. The problem is that you have to pay all those guys, and right now, the Sixers have Joel Embiid and Paul George making more than $50 million each, Maxey making $38 million, and in a couple of years, McCain and Edgecombe will be up for extensions.

Grimes has made a total of $11.1 million across four NBA seasons. This is a big opportunity to more than double his career earnings in one season. That is hard to walk away from, but it feels like this negotiation could go down to the Oct. 1 deadline when Grimes has to take the qualifying offer (as Cam Thomas has done in a similar situation), or sign something else.