Thursday, October 1, 2026
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With the NBA Draft complete, the Sixers now turn their attention to free agency, where decisions on Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr. and several team options will shape the rest of Philadelphia's offseason.
The NBA's free agency period begins Tuesday, June 30, at 6 p.m. Before Philadelphia can focus on outside additions, it must first decide the futures of its own free agents.
The Sixers' most notable free agents are guard Quentin Grimes and forward Kelly Oubre. Veterans Kyle Lowry and Andre Drummond are also set to hit the market, but a reunion between the latter two and the organization is not currently expected, at least not on the roster.
Among Philadelphia's biggest free-agent decisions, Grimes is expected to have a number of suitors in free agency who could price the Sixers out of re-signing him. Oubre’s market is expected to be competitive, but free agency has historically been a struggle for the veteran wing, which initially led to him coming to Philadelphia on the league’s veteran minimum in 2023.
A return for both Oubre and Grimes is unlikely, but not impossible, while retaining one and not the other is more likely and parting ways with both would give the Sixers the most flexibility to add an outside player this offseason.
The Sixers have three players, all with team options for the upcoming season. Forward Dominick Barlow’s option is worth $3.4 million, while Trendon Watford’s is worth $2.8 million, and Dalen Terry’s is non-guaranteed, worth $2.5 million.
Barlow is expected to return, but the Sixers have a decision to make. Rather than simply exercising his option, they could decline it and re-sign him using his Non-Bird rights, allowing them to reward him with a longer (up to four years), higher-paying (roughly $4 million) deal while maintaining roster flexibility.
Watford's case is one of Philadelphia's more interesting free agent decisions. If the Sixers are interested in retaining him, the likely move would be to decline his option and then re-sign him to the veteran minimum, which would give Watford a slight raise and cost less against the salary cap. If the Sixers accept Watford's option, it could be an indicator that the team is considering a trade, as he would immediately be eligible, but if they sign him to a new deal, the team would have to wait until the later of Dec. 15 or three months from the date the contract was signed to trade him.
Dalen Terry’s non-guaranteed option makes his deal the most flexible, as the Sixers can accept the option without financial repercussions until Jan. 10, when his deal becomes guaranteed. While the Sixers have months to guarantee Terry's deal, a decision on all team and player options must be made by 5 p.m. ET today, June 29.
Jabari Walker is not a free agent, but could be a potential cap casualty, as only a portion of his contract is guaranteed. Only $250 thousand of a total $2.5 million is guaranteed, meaning the Sixers can save over $2 million by cutting Walker. His contract is also guaranteed on Jan. 10.
Aden Bona is also on a non-guaranteed contract, but his guarantee date is July 7, and he has a team option for a non-guaranteed contract for next season. While there is a small financial benefit to waiving Bona, the controllable flexibility of his deal and his relative youth will likely prove too valuable to cut.
The NBA's salary structure has four key thresholds: the salary cap ($165 million), the luxury tax (roughly $200 million), the first apron (roughly $209 million) and the second apron (roughly $221 million). Teams can exceed each, but every step comes with additional restrictions.
Pass the luxury tax and there is a financial penalty for every additional dollar spent. Pass the first apron and the team faces trade restrictions and cannot use the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which allows teams to acquire players by free agency or trade, even though they are over the salary cap. Pass the second apron, and teams face harsher constraints, preventing them from combining contracts to acquire a higher-paid player in trades; they are also prevented from sending out cash in trades or using the taxpayer mid-level exception.
Philadelphia enters free agency roughly $14.3 million below the luxury tax. Notably, the Sixers have not paid the luxury tax since the 2021-2022 NBA season. While they have at times exceeded the tax line, they are not penalized unless they finish the season over the tax.
That leaves the Sixers with room to improve the roster if lead executive Mike Gansey, President of Sports Bob Myers and managing partner Josh Harris are willing to exceed the luxury tax. Doing so would allow Philadelphia to use the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which is worth just over $15 million, something Myers has already publicly identified as a possibility.
Using the exception would hard-cap Philadelphia at the first apron, which still leaves the Sixers roughly $22.9 million in room.
The Sixers have been frequently connected to some of the top forwards expected to find a new home in free agency. Two names frequently speculated as potential fits for the Sixers are Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade and Los Angeles Clippers forward John Collins. Over the weekend, the Sixers were reported to have interest in both players, according to the Stein Line.
Wade checks several boxes for Philadelphia. He provides size, defensive versatility and reliable three-point shooting while also having a strong connection to Mike Gansey from their time together in Cleveland.
Wade’s statistical production doesn’t pop, averaging 5.8 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 36.2% from three last season, but his value comes from his defensive versatility, capable of operating as both a point of attack defender and a switch defender.
Collins is not as versatile but provides more size and is a more impressive scoring threat inside and out. Last season, he averaged 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds, shooting 40.6% from three on 3.2 attempts per game. Collins also provides additional value as a rim runner and weak-side shot blocker. Like Wade, he’d be an improved 3-point threat at a position of need.
Outside of Wade and Collins, Rui Hachimura is considered a top name on the market if he does not return to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Another player connected to Philadelphia after much speculation is Atlanta Hawks center Jock Landale. A trade deadline addition for Atlanta from the Memphis Grizzlies, Landale felt like a missed opportunity for a team in need of some front-court reinforcements. The Sixers once again have an opportunity to add him to the roster and have reportedly expressed interest in the veteran backup, according to NBA insider Michael Scotto.
With less than two days until free agency begins, the Sixers face a series of decisions that will shape not only next season's roster but the direction of the franchise moving forward.
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