Daryl Morey hopes Quentin Grimes contract situation will be resolved ‘in the next few days’
“We’re excited to bring him back ... if we can get things resolved,” the Sixers president of basketball operations said at media day.
Restricted free agent Quentin Grimes wasn’t in the building in Camden with the rest of the team for Sixers media day, with his contract situation still unresolved.
President of basketball operations Daryl Morey said he hopes to see the two sides reach a deal sometime in the next few days.
“I think NBA rules don’t let me characterize it,” Morey said Friday. “I will say, I think we’ll get to a resolution in the next few days, hopefully. We’re excited to bring him back. Quentin’s a big part of what we’re trying to do now and in the future, if we can get things resolved.”
Wednesday is the deadline for Grimes to accept the $8.7 million qualifying offer from the Sixers, although it’s still possible for the Sixers to extend that deadline, which Grimes’ agent has asked the team to do.
» READ MORE: Quentin Grimes will skip the Sixers’ Abu Dhabi trip amid contract dispute
In the meantime, Grimes and the Sixers are in discussions about a one-year “balloon” contract that would waive the no-trade protection from the qualifying offer but would be worth more than $8.7 million. Grimes is ultimately in search of a long-term contract between $20-25 million per season when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2026, but a team source confirmed to The Inquirer on Thursday that the two sides are “very far apart.”
Grimes will not travel to Abu Dhabi for the Sixers’ first preseason games against the Knicks on Oct. 1-2, and has not participated in any of the pre-season workouts or scrimmages to this point, but is expected to rejoin the team when it returns from overseas.
Grimes came to the Sixers at the trade deadline from the Dallas Mavericks last season, and averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 28 games.