Bob Myers Might Have Accidentally Revealed Sixers' Free-Agency Plans

Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr. are both no locks to return to the Sixers next season if Bob Myers is to be believed.

Oct 23, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Bob Myers on the ESPN NBA Countdown live set at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

After the Sixers introduced Mike Gansey as their new president of basketball operations Monday, new executive vice president of basketball operations Jameer Nelson and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment president of sports Bob Myers also spoke with reporters.

One of Myers' comments in particular might have unintentionally revealed the direction which the Sixers plan to take in free agency this offseason.

"Then you get into free agency, and you say, 'What are the options? What can we do?'" Myers said. "We have these—we have the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. We have minimum contracts. We have some of our own guys that we've gotta make decisions on."

That might seem like a relatively innocuous comment on the surface. But Myers specifically mentioning the non-taxpayer MLE is a notable development given the Sixers' salary-cap dynamics heading into the offseason.

And it might not bode well for Kelly Oubre Jr. or Quentin Grimes' chances of returning to the Sixers next year.

Will the Sixers use the NTMLE?

If the Sixers pat with the No. 22 overall pick, they'll go into the offseason with nearly $172.5 million in salary on their books. That does not include their team options on Dominick Barlow ($3.4 million), Trendon Watford ($2.8 million) or Dalen Terry ($2.6 million), nor does it include Jabari Walker, who only has $250,000 of his $2.6 million salary guaranteed.

The salary cap for the 2026-27 season is projected to be $165 million, which would put the luxury-tax line at $201 million, the first apron at $209 million and the second apron at $222 million. So, regardless of what the Sixers do with Grimes, Oubre or any of their other free agents, they will enter the offseason over the salary cap.

The Sixers' bigger concern will be their proximity to the aprons, particularly if they do hope to use some version of the mid-level exception this offseason.

If the Sixers use the $15.0 million non-taxpayer MLE, they'll hard-cap themselves at the $209 million first apron. If they use the $6.1 million taxpayer MLE, they'll hard-cap themselves at the $222 million second apron.

So, let's do some math.

If the Sixers use the full non-taxpayer MLE on one player, they'll have roughly $187.5 million tied up between that player, Joel Embiid, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, the No. 22 pick, Justin Edwards and Adem Bona. That will leave them only $21.5 million to spend on 6-7 players as they fill out the rest of their roster.

Each minimum contract for anyone with two or more years of NBA experience is projected to cost nearly $2.5 million next season. Even if the Sixers rounded out their roster solely with six min deals, they'd be less than $7.5 million below the first apron.

So, if the Sixers use the non-taxpayer MLE this offseason, they'd effectively be guaranteeing the departure of one if not both of Grimes and Oubre unless they shed significant salary elsewhere.

Did Myers just tip his hand?

Granted, Myers did not commit to using the non-taxpayer MLE while speaking with reporters Monday. He just mentioned it as a tool that the Sixers could have at their disposal this offseason, which is technically true.

If both Oubre and Grimes leave to sign elsewhere in free agency, the Sixers should have enough wiggle room under the first apron to use the non-taxpayer MLE. They also don't have to use all of it on one player. They could split it between multiple players, which would give them a bit more flexibility to round out the rest of their roster.

But if the Sixers re-sign Oubre and/or Grimes, it'd likely be tough for them to fill out their roster while leaving enough room under the first apron to use the non-taxpayer MLE.

At this stage of the offseason, it's wise for the Sixers to be planning for all scenarios in free agency. Both Oubre and Grimes are set to become unrestricted free agents, which means the Sixers don't have matching rights on either one. They should have a clear plan of attack in case either or both leave.

But if the Sixers do plan to use the non-taxpayer MLE this offseason, that sends a clear signal about what other changes might be afoot. Unless they're able to dump Paul George or Joel Embiid without taking back an equivalent amount of salary, using the non-taxpayer MLE would significantly decrease the likelihood of the Sixers re-signing Oubre and/or Grimes.

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Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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