Sixers Fill Quentin Grimes Void With Another Low-Cost Free Agency Signing

If the adrenaline rush of the Jaylen Brown trade wore off, don't worry, Mike Gansey has you covered.

The Sixers intend to sign Anfernee Simons to a two-year, $12.3 million contract with a player option for the second season, Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Thursday afternoon. Simons will be a part of a talented Philadelphia backcourt that features Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Labaron Philon Jr.

Sixers depth chart

PG: Maxey / Philon
SG: Edgecombe / Simons / Terry*
SF: Brown / Edwards
PF: Wade / Barlow / Walker*
C: Embiid / Bona* / Hukporti / Broome

* is not fully guaranteed salaries

Philadelphia has one roster spot left. pic.twitter.com/K3VAfpLxMU
— Jacob Moreno (@jacob_moreno_) July 2, 2026

What will Simons bring to the Sixers?

The 27-year-old will fill the void that Quentin Grimes made after he agreed to a four-year, $60 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. Simons will provide a scoring punch to the Sixers' bench, averaging 14.3 points on 57.6% true shooting and 2.4 assists per game through stints with the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls this season.

His ability to create off the dribble and space the floor will be luxurious for Philadelphia's reserve unit. The Sixers were 23rd in 3-point accuracy and 27th in bench points league-wide via NBA.com. Gansey brought in a player who shot 38.5% from downtown on a baffling 6.9 attempts this season in Simons.

The eight-year veteran doesn't check that many boxes defensively, however. Limited by his 6-foot-2 frame, Simons has been a defensive weak link for most of his career, but he did improve at guarding the point of attack in 49 games with the Celtics. Nick Nurse expects two-way play from his guards, so it's safe to assume he'll continue to challenge Simons defensively.

What this means for Philadelphia

Simons is the Sixers' third unofficial free-agency addition, alongside Dean Wade and Ariel Hukporti. He will likely assume a sixth-man role, working with Philon for ball-handling duties when Maxey is off the court. For what it's worth, Simons and Brown were teammates during his Boston tenure. Perhaps that had some pull in why Simons came to Philadelphia for fairly cheap.

Gansey's home-run offseason continues as the fanbase has regained hope less than 24 hours from the Brown deal. It's clear that the Sixers' new president of basketball operations values nabbing the best player available, even when it's not necessarily a positional need or the cleanest fit. Yet, the team is better for it.

Philadelphia used the rest of what it had remaining of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to nab Simons. The Sixers have one roster spot left, have $2.1 million left of the bi-annual exception, and possess $4.3 million in wiggle room from the first tax apron, which they are hard-capped at due to using the NTP-MLE.

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