The Sixers’ cap situation is razor-thin after Quentin Grimes’ one-year, $8.7M QO, leaving them with 14 standard contracts and roughly $194.6M in salary. They’re about $1.1M under the first apron and $12.9M under the second, delayingbig-MLE moves and nudging them toward tax-avoidance strategies.

They face roughly $7.3M in luxury tax, but repeater tax clocks are reset through 2028-29. Trade paths hinge on Stepien rules and asset juggling (notably 2026 top-4 to OKC and 2028 top-8 to Nets), with 2029 swaps vs Clippers in play. The balance of Grimes, Edwards and the rest will define this season’s fantasy upside and long-term flexibility.

Grimes chose a one-year, $8.7M qualifying offer with a no-trade clause, betting on a richer payday next summer as the Sixers balance payroll and the luxury tax. Philadelphia’s first formal offer was around four years for $39M, far below Grimes’ target, and the backcourt puzzle—Maxey, McCain, Edgecombe—could be compelling but pricey given Embiid and Paul George over $50M each this season. Philly carries 14 players and sits over the tax line, shaping risk and upside for 2025.

Grimes’ breakout numbers from last season—21.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.5 APG—keep the backcourt option lively, yet the Sixers must manage long-term budget realities. His leverage hinges on market interest next summer, while the team weighs immediate competitiveness against financial sustainability as they navigate a potentially decade-long core around Maxey, Edgecombe and Grimes.