July 01, 2026
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
Quentin Grimes' free agency did not last nearly as long in 2026 as it did in 2025.
Quentin Grimes is reportedly leaving the Sixers to sign a four-year, $60 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers which includes a fourth-year player option, according to a report from Shams Charania of ESPN.
Grimes, 26, arrived in Philadelphia after the 2025 trade deadline, acquired from the Dallas Mavericks along with a premium second-round pick in exchange for Caleb Martin and a 2030 second-rounder. The deal was immediately a massive success – not only did Martin continue to decline in the first season of an onerous four-year contract, but Grimes completely shattered expectations.
When the Sixers acquired Grimes, they did so because of his established track record as a high-caliber three-point shooter and perimeter defender. The hope and expectation was that he would slide into an easy-fitting off-ball role next to the team's three high-usage stars.
Instead, with those players sidelined due to injuries, Grimes unexpectedly erupted in an on-ball role. He produced dynamic three-level scoring, bypassing his lack of NBA-caliber teammates and still putting the ball in the basket efficiently. It did not lead to many wins, but it showed Grimes had a higher ceiling than expected.
Then came a long, fruitless trip to restricted free agency. Grimes' agent went on the record, bashing Daryl Morey, then serving as Sixers President of Basketball Operations, for refusing to meaningfully engage in negotiations. That led to Grimes taking his one-year qualifying offer to set up a trip to unrestricted free agency this summer – and led to Grimes arranging for new representation.
In 2025-26, Grimes was a full-time reserve when the Sixers were healthy. And moving forward, there was no world in which he would ever be a starter with the Sixers at full strength. Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe have starting spots in the backcourt secured for as long as they are in Philadelphia.
The best Grimes could have been in Philadelphia moving forward is an elite sixth man. Early on last season, he looked like one. But as the season progressed, his production regressed. His slow decision-making became a pain; his fit on the roster was no longer as clean as it seemed on paper. He was good, but nothing special; across 12 postseason games he only averaged 6.5 points.
When Morey traded Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder in February, it theoretically cleared the way for the team to invest in Grimes as its third guard moving forward. But it did not resolve the reasons why Grimes might have been interested in walking all along. The lack of upward mobility likely played a major role here, and it would not be all that conspiratorial to assume his unfavorable experience with the Sixers last summer did, too.
New Sixers President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey said after drafting Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft that the selection would not impact Grimes' free agency. But Grimes is gone, and suddenly the 176-pound, 21-year-old Philon could be in line for a substantial bench role.
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