Welcome to another 5 Sixers thoughts in which we know nothing about the future of Quentin Grimes!

We are about to be six weeks into free agency, and there is still zero reported movement in negotiations between the Sixers and their highest-priority free agent. As we continue to await word on Grimes, here are a collection of notes on where things stand with the 25-year-old guard and other things Sixers:

---

Which players are rotation locks?

After waiving Ricky Council IV, the Sixers have 13 players on their roster. Assuming the Grimes ordeal is resolved at some point, they will be at 14, where they have liked to be to begin recent seasons. It stands to reason that the eventual Grimes re-signing very well might be the team's final transaction of the offseason.

Once that happens, we will have plenty of things to discuss about the specifics of head coach Nick Nurse's rotation. For now, a breakdown of rotation locks and players on the fringes:

• Starting lineup, with no explanation needed: Joel Embiid, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey

Embiid, George and Maxey will all unquestionably start with significant workloads whenever they are on the floor. Embiid will have his minutes monitored more than the others, but as George continues to deal with injury issues he should not be overworked either. Maxey, on the other hand, is a pretty good bet to be among the league leaders in minutes per game, even with a crowded backcourt behind him.

• Most critical supporting players: Quentin Grimes, Jared McCain, Kelly Oubre Jr.

Exactly how these players' roles will take shape is not entirely clear. Will Grimes or McCain start in between Maxey and George? Is there a chance the answer is both, with George sliding up to power forward in a small lineup? Is it more likely that George sliding up to the four would enable Oubre to start on the wing?

While the exact makeup of their roles might be unclear now, there is no question that Grimes, McCain and Oubre are in line to be crucial pieces of Nurse's regular rotation – likely in that order from most to least critical. Grimes starting makes all the sense in the world, and McCain's offense will probably be too good to keep on the bench for long. Oubre's defensive versatility and wing size make him more valuable to this specific team than he probably should be in an ideal world.

• Young players with clear bench roles: Adem Bona, VJ Edgecombe, Justin Edwards

Bona was considerably better than Andre Drummond last season and should be given every opportunity to establish himself as Embiid's backup. Because Embiid will even miss significant time in a positive outcome in terms of health and availability, Drummond will also need to be viable. But when Embiid plays and the Sixers only have one backup center, Bona should unquestionably be the guy.

Proponents of drafting Edgecombe would argue that he is entering an ideal situation to be a productive NBA player right away. He is the fourth guard on a team that also has Embiid and George; his perceived weaknesses as a ball-handler and playmaker might not come into play much. This is an older team that is desperate for athletic pop and defensive aggression; Edgecombe can provide both in spades. He can get a decent runway to play without being overtasked.

While Edwards proved a lot in his rookie season, he might even end up with more minutes than expected next year based on the Sixers' personnel. Of the nine players in the first three categories, Edwards and George are the only ones with enough size to play the four on a semi-regular basis, and George might prefer to be a traditional wing as much as possible.

• On the fringes: Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, Jabari Walker, Trendon Watford

Watford has the best chance of anyone in this group to provide consistent, quality minutes – in part because of the team's aforementioned lack of depth at power forward, but also because he has a real chance to pop as a rotation-caliber player. Watford's unique passing and ball-handling chops at his size can enable Nurse to get more creative offensively.

Walker is on a two-way contract, but should be given every opportunity to stand out early if he has a strong training camp. Walker can play the four and has a tremendous ability to rebound. If his progression as a three-point shooter in a small sample last season proves to be legitimate, he is unquestionably an NBA-caliber player,

Gordon will always be able to knock down open threes, but in order to produce in the NBA with his diminished athleticism he will likely need to be in lineups carefully crafted to avoid his weaknesses being exploitable. He profiles as a fifth guard at this point, and that is likely what he will be.

The swing piece here might be Drummond, because no matter what happens with Bona the veteran center will be asked to play quite a bit when Embiid is out or resting. If Drummond returns to his previous form as a top-tier backup center and Bona's progression continues, the Sixers will have a good problem on their hands.

• Deeper depth: Dominick Barlow, Johni Broome, Kyle Lowry, Hunter Sallis

Barlow is not a rotation-caliber player in the NBA, but he is clearly good enough to play in a pinch at either power forward or center. For a player inked to a two-way contract, that is more than satisfactory.

Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey indicated in Las Vegas last month that Broome will spend some of his time as an NBA rookie with the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League, and it seems fair to assume that he is the clear fourth-string center in the depth chart, far behind Drummond. He could factor into the mix at the four if George is out and Watford and Walker both fail to pop.

Lowry lost so much mobility last season that it is difficult to envision him ever being a rotation-caliber player during a season in which he will turn 40 years old. Lowry is back with his hometown team to continue his successful run as a mentor and leader for the organization's young players.

While Walker and Barlow are on the win-now spectrum of two-way signings, the undrafted rookie Sallis profiles as the long-term developmental piece. He disappointed as a shooter and scorer in Summer League, and those are supposed to be his two key calling cards. But his flashes as a passer were intriguing and coaches were happy with how he came along defensively. At this time last year, Edwards was in a nearly identical position as Sallis is in now, so anything is possible.

NBA schedule release is nearing

The NBA announced on Monday morning that the full schedule for the 2025-26 season will be out on Thursday. Be prepared for an embarrassing number of words about the Sixers' slate then.

In the meantime, Shams Charania of ESPN has broken a few important schedule details over the last few days. Naturally, the Sixers are not playing on opening night – the Oklahoma City Thunder will host Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets, and the Golden State Warriors will face off against the Los Angeles Lakers in another battle between Stephen Curry and LeBron James.

The Sixers will also not play on Christmas Day, even though their triumph over the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day last year was arguably the only truly exciting game of their season. The five-game Christmas slate features the teams you would expect to be on it:

Count me as one of the many surprised that the Lakers are not in Dallas facing the Mavericks on Christmas Day. Cooper Flagg is must-see, but are the Mavericks going to be a Christmas-worthy team before Kyrie Irving returns from injury? The answer is likely no, unless they are playing against Luka Dončić or Flagg is even greater right away than anticipated.

Four of the five games featuring two teams from the Western Conference is ominous for the state of the Eastern Conference, where the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers being forced into gap years has devastated the group.

Still no movement on Grimes

Grimes remains in the same boat as Golden State's Jonathan Kuminga, Brooklyn's Cam Thomas and Chicago's Josh Giddey. All four restricted free agents do not have markets because of the total lack of financial resources available in the NBA this summer. The Nets are the only team with significant cap space and they have barely seemed to register interest in keeping their own restricted free agent, let alone pursue others.

So, the holding pattern continues. Players have every right to not accept offers they know do not reflect their ability and upward mobility. Teams have every right to not make offers they know do not reflect where the market stands. Ultimately, the teams have the leverage thanks to their restricted rights.

The nuclear option for Grimes and the others remains taking the qualifying offer, a one-year deal that comes with a no-trade clause and a clear pathway to unrestricted free agency next summer. Last week, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that there was some "buzz" about Grimes taking the qualifying offer, but has also indicated that he still thinks the more likely outcome is the pair of sides coming to some sort of multi-year agreement.

---

MORE: Is there a pivot if Quentin Grimes accepts his qualifying offer?

---

Bona suiting up in EuroBasket

Bona is having an extremely busy summer after his extremely busy rookie season. Bona went to Summer League, both in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. He played a lot of minutes and did a lot of yelling at the top of his lungs. He was in the Sixers' practice facility in Camden quite a bit after Summer League concluded.

Now, Bona is playing for Team Turkey in the upcoming EuroBasket tournament. Born in Nigeria, Bona moved to Turkey as a child to pursue his basketball dreams. He has represented Turkey in international competition on many occasions already as a youth, and he is playing alongside some of the country's most skilled players, from Houston Rockets center Alperen Şengün to old friend Furkan Korkmaz.

Bona came off the bench in Turkey's first friendly last week:

---

RECENT SIXERS DEPARTURES

Jared Butler | Ricky Council IV | Jeff Dowtin Jr. | Lonnie Walker IV

---

Chris Boucher signs with Celtics after Georges Niang trade

Many Sixers fans were clamoring for the team to sign Chris Boucher, the 32-year-old stretch big whose stellar performances against the Sixers have caused plenty of ire over the years. Boucher finally went off the board last week, signing a veteran's minimum contract with Boston. He will have a chance to play there, as the Celtics have a collection of lottery tickets in their frontcourt moving forward.

Boucher's theoretical versatility from a positional perspective – he can conceivably play power forward and center – would have been helpful for the Sixers, but he is not nearly as productive as some of his heaters against the Sixers made him seem during his lengthy tenure with the Toronto Raptors.

However, the Celtics only signed Boucher after dumping the expiring salary of old friend Georges Niang onto the Utah Jazz at the price of two second-round picks. For now, Niang is reportedly expected to begin his second stint with the Jazz rather than be bought out. It should go without saying that if Niang did get a buyout, the Sixers would be wise to make an aggressive play for him. He will not dramatically improve the upside of the Sixers, but he would be an extremely stable and well-liked option to play consistent minutes at the position where they need the most help.

Utah should hold onto Niang for now in hopes of finding a deal later in the offseason or around the trade deadline. If things are going well for the Sixers next season to the degree that they are buying in the winter, Niang would be a sensible option.

---

Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam

Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice