Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes exercised his $8.7 million player option after contract negotiations stalled with team management. The 25-year-old sought an annual salary between $20 million and $25 million, but the franchise declined to meet his financial expectations. Grimes joined Philadelphia in a midseason trade from the Dallas Mavericks and will enter unrestricted free agency next summer.
Team president Daryl Morey opted to let market conditions determine player valuations despite recently signing center Joel Embiid to a three-year, $193 million maximum extension without injury protections. No competing teams submitted offers for Grimes as a restricted free agent, and the Sixers maintained negotiating control. League executives questioned whether his statistics from 28 games would translate to a playoff-contending roster, given that he averaged 21.9 points while the team pursued draft positioning.
Team president Daryl Morey opted to let market conditions determine player valuations despite recently signing center Joel Embiid to a three-year, $193 million maximum extension without injury protections. No competing teams submitted offers for Grimes as a restricted free agent, and the Sixers maintained negotiating control. League executives questioned whether his statistics from 28 games would translate to a playoff-contending roster, given that he averaged 21.9 points while the team pursued draft positioning.
