West executive weighs in on 2 key 76ers free agents ahead of offseason

[ASFN Admin]

The Philadelphia 76ers are in the process of finding a new head of basketball operations after parting ways with Daryl Morey, but with that being said, the Sixers have to prepare for the upcoming offseason periods as well.

The Sixers have a number of free agents they need to make decisions on. Namely, Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr., who will enter the summer as unrestricted free agents after playing important roles for Philadelphia in the 2025-26 season.

The Sixers will need to prioritize finding ways to improve the roster and challenge the now Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks, but Oubre and Grimes should probably be part of that equation as well. A Western Conference executive weighed in on the free agency of both players per ESPN:

Keeping Grimes -- along with fellow free agent wing Kelly Oubre Jr. -- would cause Philadelphia to go well into the luxury tax, something the team has repeatedly avoided in recent years. It will be one of the first important decisions for whoever is hired to replace Morey (a decision expected to come fairly soon).

The belief overall is that Grimes will land something at or below the midlevel exception, and ultimately, it will come from the 76ers.

"I do think he stays there out of pressure," a West executive said. "You have to keep at least one of [Grimes or Oubre], if not both, after that trade.

"And if they don't go into the tax, they're going to get crushed."

Oubre averaged 14.1 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting a career-high 36% from deep in the 2025-26 season. He was a big part of Philadelphia's success and should be brought back in some capacity. He is too valuable on both ends of the floor.

As for Grimes, he had a long and tough 2025 offseason as a restricted free agent. He was looking for a bigger deal, but then had to settle for the $8.7 million qualifying offer to return to Philadelphia. One has to wonder what he will look for after averaging 13.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 75 games.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: West executive weighs in on 2 key 76ers free agents ahead of offseason

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