January 20, 2026
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
Kelly Oubre Jr.'s $8.3 million expiring salary might be the most important asset of the Sixers' trade deadline.
In 16 days, the Sixers should look at least a bit different than they do right now.
The NBA's trade deadline is on Feb. 5, and the Sixers sit in one of the more interesting, puzzling positions of any team in the league. They have flashed glimpses of excellence in an Eastern Conference without an undisputed top dog. They have young players and draft picks at their disposal. But they also have the constant questions about Joel Embiid's health lingering, not much movable salary and are only $7 million above the luxury tax threshold, which they have ducked multiple times in recent years.
Predictably, most of the mailbag questions sent in these days pertain to the deadline and the Sixers' various options as it nears. Today, we will focus mostly on the wing mix with two questions from the same reader.
Let's not waste any time:
From @JTDG13: What are the odds Quentin Grimes or Kelly Oubre Jr. ends up on the move due to their expiring contracts and the possible inability for the Sixers to re-sign them?
It would take a very unlikely set of circumstances for Grimes to be traded this season. After he accepted the qualifying offer at the end of his unproductive restricted free agency, Grimes has the right to veto any trade. That is because, if Grimes were traded this season, his Full Bird rights would not travel to his new team. Unless it has significant cap space next summer, that new team would not be able to offer Grimes anything close to the money he is coveting on a long-term deal. Staying with the Sixers keeps his Full Bird rights intact, which could eventually lead to Grimes and the Sixers hammering out a multi-year contract to keep him in Philadelphia, or the sides finding a sign-and-trade option that works for both parties.
Grimes' new representation at CAA is likely stressing to him the potential downside of accepting a trade for the sake of getting more minutes and touches late in the season. His floor in terms of earning potential would go down significantly unless he is approving a trade to a team that is a safe bet to possess major cap space in the summer and be willing to use a chunk of that money on Grimes.
Oubre, meanwhile, looms as arguably the swing factor of the Sixers' deadline plans. In some ways, how the Sixers handle Oubre and his $8.3 million expiring salary will serve as a litmus test for not just how the organization feels about the veteran swingman, but also about its appetite for a luxury tax bill and the reliability of Paul George.
It is hard for a wing to have a better defensive playmaking game than Kelly Oubre Jr. did in the Sixers' loss to Toronto on Sunday. He logged 34 minutes in a last-second start and notched four steals and three blocks: pic.twitter.com/u8u7CTjoDd
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) January 12, 2026
If the Sixers get under the threshold and go from taxpayers to collectors, they will save a whole lot of money. It does not, however, create any roster-building flexibility or come with basketball-centric incentives. That does not necessarily mean it would be a move driven by being cheap; some teams duck the tax when they are close to the line so that they can blow by it in a future season and feel more comfortable with a heftier bill. But the Sixers have ducked it enough times to dissuade fans from feeling that way.
If Oubre remains a member of the Sixers past the trade deadline, it will be a sign that the Sixers view him as so vital to their wing rotation that holding onto him was worth a whole lot of money – and their team has inspired enough confidence for them to take that gamble. Because it would not be an enormous challenge to trade Oubre and acquire a much less expensive wing who can reasonably play a role in head coach Nick Nurse's rotation; that would be the heavy lifting to get under the tax.
But that does incur immediate risk, as very few players near veteran's minimum salaries are surefire rotation-caliber pieces. And as Justin Edwards has failed to make an impact in his second NBA season, the Sixers are shallow on the wing. George, Oubre and Edwards are their only traditional options there.
MORE: How do you fit alongside Joel Embiid? His teammates explain
From @JTDG13: Who are some realistic wing targets the Sixers could pursue?
That leads us here. If the Sixers are looking to duck the tax while replacing Oubre's wing minutes, the name that should continue to be mentioned is Justin Champagnie, 24. One of the single best rebounders among NBA wings, the Washington Wizards inked Champagnie to a deal only paying him $2.3 million this season with modest raises on non-guaranteed salaries in 2026-27 and 2027-28. In today's restrictive salary cap environment, landing a viable rotation piece making as little money as Champagnie will be is a massive deal. The Wizards should have no problem moving on from him as they continue to focus on even younger players, but the Sixers would not be the only team interested in his services. Multiple second-round picks should be on the table here.
justin champagine 20/7/1s/1b vs brooklyn pic.twitter.com/siLZ8xoLk8
— riley ｼ (@rileyr_) January 3, 2026
Another option who is not quite as cost-efficient and comes with some more risk would be Haywood Highsmith, the former Sixers developmental project who turned himself into a quality two-way wing with the Miami Heat. Miami dumped Highsmith's $5 million expiring salary on the Brooklyn Nets over the summer, and an injury has held Highsmith out all season. There is no telling when he will play or how he will look, but Highsmith is a stable background piece that should fit nicely into the Sixers' star-laden lineups.
How about Saddiq Bey, the Villanova product now with the New Orleans Pelicans? Bey, 26, is like Oubre in that his three-point volume will always be more encouraging than his three-point accuracy, but he is a much more reliable shooter. He makes $6.1 million this season and will earn $6.4 million next season, offering the Sixers some short-term savings over Oubre and some additional control. Oubre, a native of New Orleans, could be of interest to the Pelicans, who have no tanking incentives down the stretch of the season.
SADDIQ BEY IS UNREAL
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 23, 2025
AND1 COME ON pic.twitter.com/0ge57Yl06x
But what if the Sixers not only decide they are comfortable staying above the tax, but that they are willing to absolutely maximize their trade flexibility? It feels unlikely, but the Sixers could package the expiring deals of Oubre and Andre Drummond to give themselves the appetite to take back something in the ballpark of $15 million in salary.
Naji Marshall of the Dallas Mavericks is a terrific fit for what the Sixers need; he would give them some stability at both forward spots and instantly be the leader in the forward clubhouse to close games next to George. Dallas will certainly be asking for a first-round pick for Marshall, who makes $9 million this season and will make $9.4 million next year. The Sixers are probably not in a position to meet that price, but they have the ability to pounce if that market does not progress to the spot Dallas wants it at: the Mavericks have only two second-round picks over the next seven drafts, while the Sixers have an abundance of them. Perhaps the Sixers can use quantity, not quality, to get a deal across the finish line.
NAJI MARSHALL'S COURT VISION 🤯
— NBA (@NBA) December 24, 2025
DEN/DAL is LIVE on NBC & Peacock! pic.twitter.com/LoccpZRbuc
Here's an option somewhat out of left field, but a player who has been speculated as a potential Sixers fit for years: Derrick Jones Jr., the Chester native soon to turn 29 years old. Two knee injuries will wipe out most of Jones' season, and with the Los Angeles Clippers finally surging and looking to turn around their season, every win they can get in the regular season will be meaningful.
In a vacuum, Jones is a better player than Oubre and also comes with some additional control (Jones makes $10 million this season and will be under contract for $10.4 million in 2026-27). But could the Clippers, desperate to earn their way into the Play-In Tournament and also starved for second-round picks, opt for Oubre's full availability and a few second-rounders over a late-season return from Jones? The Sixers would take a short-term hit with a move like this, but if Jones returned to full health by the playoffs he would give them a considerable boost.
MORE: Partnership of Paul George, VJ Edgecombe could unlock best version of Sixers
Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam
