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Joel Embiid Spotted at Sixers Facility, Plus the Latest on Kelly Oubre Jr. and Quentin Grimes
By Sean Barnard
Published:
As if it is a search for Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster, Sixers fans have kept a keen eye out for Joel Embiid this summer. The former MVP has been noticeably off the map, even by his secluded standards. But the Philadelphia 76ers X account posted some pictures and videos of recent team workouts with training camp set to begin on October 1st. Embiid was a part of this, with the post including a video of the big man knocking down a jump shot out of the post at semi-game speed. Perhaps most notably, he did not have a brace on:
This does not mean it’s time to rush out and place a bet on the Sixers to win the championship just yet. But this is as encouraging of an Embiid update we have seen or heard in months.
The Sixers have been extremely cautious answering any questions about Embiid’s outlook during their limited media availability. They were burned last season by their lack of communication and Embiid was never able to get healthy. He played a career-low 19 games and looked like a shell of himself in most of the games he was on the court, with this issue stemming from the meniscus tear the year prior.
The seven-time All-Star underwent another knee surgery this summer to hopefully clean up the problem, but there has not been any sort of PR staff update in weeks and months. He had the surgery on April 9th, making it nearly five months since he has gone under the knife. Based on the information we have, this is plenty of time to recover for what the surgery addressed, but the Sixers are understandably being cautious for the 31-year-old with his lengthy injury history in mind.
Optimism is probably at its low point in the Embiid era following last year’s 24-58 record. It also cannot be fully ignored that we’re less than two calendar years removed from Embiid being a universally-viewed top three player in basketball, who was on his way to winning his second consecutive MVP. Plenty has happened since this time, with two knee surgeries included, but maybe the absence of expectations could be beneficial to he and the team.
“If” will forever be the buzzword surrounding Embiid and this Sixers team. At the minimum, this should be looked at as the first true encouraging sign for the superstar’s outlook. The fact that he does not have a brace on is especially noteworthy. This feels unlikely to be the case once competitive basketball is taking place, but that is a bridge we will cross when we eventually get there. Embiid being capable of playing basketball again is a huge positive any way you slice it.
Also in the Sixers World
Kelly Oubre Jr. isn’t feeling the love
Rumors have swirled for most of the offseason and picked up steam in recent days of the Sixers reportedly gauging the value of Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond on the trade market. Their roster is, for the most part, set in stone and creating some lanes for more flexibility is something that seems to always appeal to Daryl Morey. This is especially the case with Quentin Grimes remaining unsigned as the Sixers continue to play the waiting game in restricted free agency. But Oubre Jr. wasn’t thrilled to see some of the reactions from the fanbase of his name being in trade rumors and took to Instagram to voice his thoughts:
For what it’s worth, I think Oubre Jr. should be aware that the general hate from the Sixers fanbase feels team-wide after such a disappointing season. This is not a situation in which he’s viewed as a public enemy number one the way some past players have been. But, to be fair, he’s become a surprisingly polarizing player in Sixers circles. Oubre Jr. played the most total minutes of any player on the roster last season and averaged 15.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.5 steals across his 34.6 minutes per game. He’s heading into his third Philadelphia season and opted into his $8.4 million player option to remain.
In an ideal world, Oubre Jr. would be a better shooter. He shot just 29.3% from beyond the three-point arc last season, 31.1% the year before with the Sixers, and is 32.5% for his career. Shooting is at a premium more than ever in the NBA, and if the Kansas product was just a league-average shooter, it would change the caliber of player he is. The 29-year-old also is also hate by the advanced metrics, which his skeptics are quick to throw on the timeline.
Personally, I greatly appreciated Oubre Jr. being one of the few members of this Sixers team treating last season like a professional from start to finish. He has his flaws as a player, but competes hard every night and has the most athleticism at the wing position of any option the this team has had in several years. Oubre Jr. found a nice niche playing next to Embiid in the dunker spot when he was healthy and makes a high-level defensive impact when matching up with smaller guards. He uses his length and active hands to make life difficult and was the primary defender on Jalen Brunson as he shot 16-55 (29.1%) across the opening two games of the 2024 playoff series with the Knicks.
In the right role, Oubre Jr. can still be an impactful part of the rotation, but it’s fair to assess if he has been asked to scale up his usage to a level that should not be the case on a winning basketball team for stretches here in Philadelphia. I view this more of an indictment on the team and lack of available healthy options ahead of him than on Oubre Jr. individually, but get the frustrations.
Time will tell if there is any weight to the trade rumors, but might be a good time for Oubre Jr. to unplug from the timeline a bit regardless.
Quentin Grimes remains unsigned
Quentin Grimes will be suiting up for the Philadelphia 76ers next year, it’s just a question of at what price point and for how long beyond that. The Sixers traded for Grimes at the deadline, sending away Caleb Martin in a deal that was a larger admission of where their season was heading than we realized at the time. But the 25-year-old was a revelation in the second half of the season and made the most of his opportunity with the most offensive freedom he had seen in his NBA career.
Grimes averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists whiles shooting 37.2% from beyond the three-point arc across his 28 games in Philadelphia. It’s been a strange career for Grimes to this point, having already having suited up for four different franchises and having been traded three times. The level of play he showed to end the season was his best stretch of basketball at the NBA level, but this has only made it more difficult to put a price tag on what his future contract value should be.
There has not been any sort of update on talks between Grimes and the Sixers for a few weeks. He is a restricted free agent, which give the Sixers the right to match any contract sent his direction, and, when looking at the rosters and salary cap outlooks of other organizations, there really is not a threat. This also means the Sixers are not negotiating against someone and therefore have no sense of urgency to increase their offer from whatever it is behind the scenes. This has been an issue across the rest of the NBA as well with the restricted free agent market moving at a snail’s pace. Philadelphia picked up his roughly $8.5 million qualifying offer for this season, meaning that Grimes could play on a one-year deal for this amount and then re-enter free agency as an unrestricted free agent next offseason if he chooses to do so. This would not be a great outcome for the Sixers as Grimes would hold a no-trade clause on the year and their outlook for resigning him next offseason is not as promising as is currently the case.
Cam Thomas elected to go this direction with the Brooklyn Nets after they did not see eye to eye on his monetary value. But Grimes is in a much different position with this being his fourth team already. It also may not be the best move to bet on yourself for a season when the guard rotation will be competitive for minutes with Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and third-overall pick VJ Edgecombe in the mix. Philadelphia has far more invested in all three of these players and they likely can’t all share the floor together. The track record for players making this bet on themselves is not strong either, with it more common for players to end up on a minimum deal the following year rather than receiving the raise they seek.
Josh Giddy was rewarded for his patience in negotiations by signing a four-year contract with the Chicago Bulls for $100 million this week. The Bulls traded for Giddy before last season and are looking at him as a foundational piece of their future which he looked the part for stretches last year. It’s a bit puzzling why they drug out conversations this long if they were willing to increase the offer to this level. Nonetheless, the outlook for Grimes on the Sixers is much different than the Bulls and Giddy. Even the biggest Grimes believers can’t really talk themselves into him being a foundational piece in the way Chicago appears hopeful Giddy can be.
Ultimately, my prediction is that some common ground is found and that a multi-year agreement is reached between Grimes and the Sixers that works for both sides. Daryl Morey is plenty comfortable looking down the barrel of deadlines and not blinking and will not be eager to raise the offer more than needs to be the case. Talks should heat up with training camp set to start at the end of the month, and this will be a story to continue monitoring.
Sean Barnard has covered the Philadelphia 76ers and general Philly Sports for over six years in a variety of roles and for multiple outlets. Currently works as a Content Writer for DraftKings Network, Sixers/NBA Insider for Philadelphia's Fox Sports the Gambler, and co-host of Sixers & Phillies Digest on Youtube. Forever Trusting the Process.