Free agency will be of paramount importance for the Philadelphia 76ers this summer. While that might sound like a glib point given that they are not exactly sailing alone on that ocean, this team has a clear chance to go for a significant turnover with nearly half of their players set to hit the open market. However, two of those players are bound to give the front office a tough time.
Kelly Oubre Jr. and Quentin Grimes are the two most important players on the roster who will be available for taking this summer. Of course, it would be in the team's best interest to keep both of them, but that is where the problem kicks in. The 76ers, in keeping with their M.O. as of late, are likely not going to be allured by the prospect of going deep into the luxury tax to retain both of their services, meaning they could very well be cudgeled into having to pick just one.
Problem is, there are sound cases for both players to get the nod and stay with the franchise. As such, it would appear that the 76ers are headed toward a lose-lose situation anyway, and as indifferent as it might appear, the front office (now spearheaded by Mike Gansey) is slated to face the unenviable task of partaking in a zero-sum game.
The 76ers will likely have to choose between Kelly Oubre and Quentin Grimes in free agency
Oubre and Grimes are in tandem in that they are both unrestricted free agents, which makes them flight risks. Under the pain of shame, the 76ers should abhor the mere thought of either of them walking away for nothing, especially since the front office had already jettisoned the idea of trades to keep those two in the fold.
Kelly Oubre is probably the safer option to keep for the 76ers. He has become a wildly important piece of the puzzle for Philly, and his two-way play is not easily replicable. Having said that, he will undoubtedly end up costing more than his counterpart.
Meanwhile, Grimes is coming off a down year, but his situation is unique in that Philly's brain trust is basically blackjacked into having to want him back more than they probably should. The 76ers bench is a hot mess, and after trading Jared McCain away, Grimes has become that much more important by default.
There is an easy way out of this, which is for the ownership group to start spending like a team that actually wants to win meaningfully. However, that has been a moot call for years now, and given how the 76ers have operated, suffice to say that will lose no matter who they choose to keep between Oubre and Grimes in free agency.
