Sixers free agency: Will they be able to keep Quentin Grimes and Guerschon Yabusele?

The 76ers put in the work during the NBA’s two-day draft that concluded Thursday before turning their attention to deciding on team options one day later.

The next key date is Sunday, the deadline for Kelly Oubre Jr. and Eric Gordon to inform the team of their decision to opt in or out of their contracts. Then comes 6 p.m. Monday, when the NBA free-agency period begins.

Oubre has a player option for $8.3 million and Gordon has one for $3.4 million. Their decisions could have some impact on what the Sixers are able to do in free agency.

» READ MORE: Johni Broome was a winner at the college level. He hopes to prove that it translates to the NBA.

The teams desperately looking to get younger and more athletic have already accomplished that goal. It’s just a matter whether they’re going to be able to keep Quentin Grimes and Guerschon Yabusele.

The Sixers feel so good about the prospects of retaining Grimes, who will be a restricted free agent, that he was mentioned after they selected VJ Edgecombe with the third pick in the draft.

“I really like how things are shaping up,” said Daryl Morey, the Sixers president of basketball operations. “I think we’ll have one of the best backcourts in the league, with Grimes, [Tyrese] Maxey, Jared McCain and now VJ. With the way the NBA’s going, I think you saw some of these teams playing dynamic, uptempo with multiple guards that put the defense in jeopardy.”

The Sixers acquired Grimes and the second-round pick in last week’s draft from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Caleb Martin and a 2030 second-rounder before February’s trade deadline. They used the second-rounder to select post player Johni Broome out of Auburn.

But Grimes was definitely a great pickup, one who was the team’s late-season headliner with Joel Embiid (left knee), Maxey (right hand), and Paul George (left adductor and left knee) all sidelined with injuries.

Grimes, a 6-foot-5 combo guard, would give the Sixers optionality. He could come off the bench to provide instant offense and solid three-point shooting. He’s also capable of sliding into the starting lineup where he would provide spacing for Maxey, Embiid, and George.

As a free agent, he could potentially command a salary in the range of a three-year, $55 million to $60 million deal, according to reports.

Since he’s a restricted free agent, the Sixers are allowed to match any offer sheet he signs with another team. And if they were to match an outside offer, Grimes will return to Philly.

» READ MORE: Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe wants to give his all for Philly. But he’ll never forget his Bahamian roots.

But what if another team is willing to overpay for Grimes, knowing the Sixers have a lot of money tied into Embiid, George, and Maxey? Will the Sixers still match a deal that has the potential to set them back financially?

They’re prepared to spend beyond the second luxury tax threshold, also known as the second apron ($207.8 million) to retain players even with the severe penalties they’ll incur.

That could deter another team from tying up a chunk of its free-agent money in Grimes, knowing that the Sixers would match it at the 11th hour.

They’re also expected to re-sign veteran guard Kyle Lowry, a six-time All-Star and a 2019 NBA champion with the Toronto Raptors. The 39-year-old, who has played 19 NBA seasons, is an extension of the coaching staff. He has helped players buy into what coach Nick Nurse is selling.

But things could get complicated in an attempt to re-sign Yabusele.

The Sixers don’t have his Bird rights because he was on a one-year minimum deal for $2.1 million. As a result, they can offer him only a limited salary raise — typically 120% of his last season’s salary — unless they use a mid-level exception.

The limited raise wouldn’t be enough to retain Yabusele, given how well he performed last season. When it comes to mid-level exceptions, the Sixers will have options. But it could become costly.

» READ MORE: Sixers awarded Justin Edwards with a new three-year deal

The Sixers could use their $14.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception to re-sign him. But that would hard-cap them at the first apron. As a result, they couldn’t exceed that threshold for the entire 2025-26 league year.

The Sixers would be hard-capped at the second apron — instead of the first — if Yabusele settled for a $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception. One has to assume that he’ll demand more than that in free agency, especially with the San Antonio Spurs expected to pursue him.

The Sixers had to be aware of that when they drafted Broome, who like Yabusele, can play the power forward and center positions.

However, there was some buzz on social media after Yabusele did a collaboration post on Instagram with cotton + Co. Designs, which specializes in interior design and decor services.

The caption of the post read, “it was a privilege helping #guerschonyabusele from the #philadelphia76ers and his lovely family settle into their new space. He was outstanding to watch all season. No surprise, only great things are ahead for this incredible athlete!"

My first thought, is this actually his official account? And secondly, would Yabusele seriously take less to remain a Sixer?

We’ll find out in the coming days how the Sixers’ roster shapes up.