Sixers Expected to Pursue Deals With Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr. Despite Tax Concerns
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The Philadelphia 76ers are widely expected to make a strong push to keep unrestricted free agents Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr. when the market opens this summer, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
League executives told ESPN that Grimes could command a salary close to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, projected at about $15 million. Retaining both Grimes and Oubre would lift Philadelphia’s payroll into the luxury-tax range, a threshold the franchise has avoided in recent years.
“You have to keep at least one of them, if not both, after that McCain trade. And if they don’t go into the tax, they’re going to get crushed,” a Western Conference executive said, referring to the February move that sent guard Jared McCain to Oklahoma City.
Roster Decisions Beyond Grimes and Oubre
Forward Dominick Barlow, who averaged 7.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in 23.8 minutes across 71 appearances (59 starts) in 2025-26, has a $3.4 million team option for 2026-27. Despite questions about his three-point shooting, Barlow showed he can hold a rotation role, writes Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com.
Aaronson also examined Oubre’s and Trendon Watford’s seasons. Oubre’s camp could accept a lower annual figure in exchange for a multiyear agreement, while the Sixers must decide whether to pick up Watford’s $2.8 million option for 2026-27.
Debate Over Most Vital Free Agent
In a Philadelphia Inquirer roundtable, reporters Gina Mizell and Gabriela Carroll identified Oubre as the club’s top offseason priority. Columnist David Murphy argued that neither Oubre nor Grimes should be retained unless each agrees to a team-friendly deal.
Philadelphia’s free-agency decisions will unfold after the league’s moratorium ends in early July.
Source: Hoops Rumors
