Quentin Grimes issues confident statement about 76ers' playoff chances

PHILADELPHIA -- There is no doubt that the Philadelphia 76ers have one of the more talented rosters in the league. Led by Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe, and Paul George all now healthy and building chemistry down the stretch of the season, there is a sense that the Sixers can make some serious noise in the playoffs.

At the moment, the Sixers are fighting to stay in the top 6 in the East so they can avoid the play-in tournament and have the week off, but wherever Philadelphia ends up, it will have a great chance at pulling off an upset thanks to the talent it possesses.

Not only does Philadelphia have a strong starting 5 on paper, but there is some scoring depth off the bench with Kelly Oubre Jr. and Quentin Grimes providing a spark and Dominick Barlow doing whatever it takes to help a team win.

:I feel like we’re scary," said Grimes. "We’re pretty deep at every position. We have a lot of talented, talented guys. So, I feel like whoever comes in the game, there’s really no drop off where there’s a sub for anybody in the starting unit or whoever comes in. I feel like in the playoffs, I really wouldn’t wanna see us. We’ll try to get that 6 seed and not be in the play-in."

After being acquired from the Dallas Mavericks at the 2025 deadline, Grimes is playing meaningful basketball for the first time since he made the playoffs with the New York Knicks in 2023. The 5-year guard, obviously, joined the Sixers at a tough time when considering all of the injuries that decimated the roster in the previous season so this is a big difference for him.

"It feels great," Grimes stated. "It’s what you kinda work the whole summer for, the whole training camp, and then early on in the season. Just building up that chemistry, that intensity for when you get to these games, that there’s no drop off. There’s nothing new about it, so right now, the intensity is at a super high level the last couple two, three games so it’s been good to see. Gotta keep carrying it over."

When considering all that he and the Sixers went through in 2024-25, it is a satisfying feeling that they have been able to turn things around.

"For sure," he finished. "Just with all the expectations that people have and knowing how loaded we are as a team. We have a lot of guys that can do a lot of things on the court so it’s good to see everybody slowly getting that groove and kinda slowly get in that trying to be peaking come playoff time."

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Quentin Grimes issues confident statement about 76ers' playoff chances

To say that Dexter Lawrence’s career has been wasted up to this point would be a massive understatement. The three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro has been with the New York Giants since 2019, languishing for seven long years in an organization that has been constantly rebuilding, now on its fourth coach since Lawrence was drafted.

It’s not wholly surprising that Lawrence is demanding a trade, but the timing is bizarre. This is the first time Lawrence has had a competitive team that could actually win — and now with John Harbaugh at coach, the Giants look actually poised to do something. However, this could be attributed to Lawrence routinely being in trade discussions with contenders, only to see them fall apart at the deadline, coupled with the sides not being able to agree on a new contract.

Lawrence is currently on a rookie extension he signed in 2023, which is set to run through 2027. He has a cap hit of $27M this season, though it’s probable he would sign a contract extension with a new team, which could reduce his cap number. Let’s look at the teams who could afford this move, and who needs an All-Pro defensive tackle.

Los Angeles Chargers

From one Harbaugh to another, Dexter Lawrence would be an ideal fit to anchor the Chargers defensive line in their 3-4. Right now the team is hoping that short-term free agent pickup Dalvin Tomlinson can hold the middle, and he was atrocious in 2025, rating as one of the worst tackles in the league at the position.

The Chargers have the cap space and the need to add some superstar talent, which is where Lawrence fits in. He can open up pass rush lanes on the edge for Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu, while adding a much-needed veteran presence.

New England Patriots

The Pats showed how talented they were last season, but we saw in the Super Bowl how a lack of interior pressure hurt them when everything mattered the most. Lawrence would give Mike Vrabel the interior force he needs, and a critical veteran to bring up some of New England’s younger talent.

There’s a very good chance that the Pats could be holding their cap space for a potential A.J. Brown trade to bolster the offense, but they might actually be better suited by trying to get Lawrence to complement the already excellent Patriots pass defense.

Seattle Seahawks

Let’s make 31 other teams groan. There aren’t a lot of weaknesses on the Seahawks, but one of them is nose tackle. Jarran Reed is fine, but there’s nothing really impressive about him and adding a pop in the middle like Lawrence would make an already terrifying Seahawks’ defense into an all-consuming black hole.

They won a Super Bowl, so now it’s time to try and turn this into a dynasty by giving them one of the best 3-4 nose tackles in the NFL.