Full list of 76ers’ 2025 pending free agents, predictions, key dates

The Philadelphia 76ers will have an opportunity to upgrade the roster in a major way in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft. After an extremely forgettable 2024-25 season, the Sixers landed the No. 3 overall pick, and they have several intriguing options heading into the draft.

But, the draft isn't the only vehicle by which Philadelphia's roster will be altered this offseason, as the team also has a plethora of players headed for free agency. Most of the players that the Sixers signed last summer, and during the season, were added on short, one or two-year deals.

As a result, a large percentage of Philly's roster will be entering one form of free agency or another. Here's the full list of Philadelphia's free agents this summer:

• Kyle Lowry (UFA)
• Guerschon Yabusele (UFA)
• Quentin Grimes (RFA)
• Jeff Dowtin (RFA)
• Jalen Hood-Schifino (RFA)
• Justin Edwards (Team option)
• Lonnie Walker (TO)
• Jared Butler (TO)
• Kelly Ourbe (Player option)
• Eric Gordon (PO)
• Andre Drummond (PO)

The Sixers have two players headed for unrestricted free agency -- Lowry and Yabusele. Those guys will both be free to sign wherever they want, but both have expressed a desire to remain in Philadelphia.

“I still want to play one more year,” Lowry said last month. “And hopefully it’s here.”

It remains to be seen if that interest is mutual, but Daryl Morey has pledged to make the Sixers roster younger and more athletic over the offseason, and bringing back a 39-year old Lowry would be the antithesis of that.

Yabusele, on the other hand, is a player that would fit well with the Sixers moving forward, and Morey has made it clear that the team would like to bring him back.

"We really like his fit going forward, so we would like to retain him," Morey said of Yabusele . "Obviously, he’s an unrestricted free agent, so it’s not for sure whenever that happens, but we would like to retain him."

In addition to the two unrestricted free agents, the Sixers also have three restricted free agents -- Quentin Grimes, Jeff Dowtin and Jalen Hood-Schifino. Given their restricted status, the Sixers will have an opportunity to match any outside offers.

As a young, productive two-way player, Grimes will likely have several suitors, but the Sixers plan to prioritize bringing him back after acquiring the 25-year old from the Dallas Mavericks prior to the trade deadline in February.

“We’re excited for him to come back. We’ve positioned ourselves to bring him back," Morey said of Grimes. "He had multiple 40-point performances. His defense we think really fits well with Tyrese. We think he’s a very good fit there. And we think with Joel, Paul and Tyrese, he’s a very good fit.”

The other two RFAs are likely as good as gone. Philly also has three players with a team option for the '25-26 season, and it will be interesting to see what decisions they make regarding those guys.

Picking up Justin Edwards' option is a no-brainer after the potential he flashed as an undrafted rookie last season, and there could be a world where they also opt to pick up the options on Lonnie Walker and Jared Butler. Both could potentially provide some decent guard depth at a reasonable rate. Maybe they'll only bring back one of those two, but Edwards will almost assuredly remain on the roster.

Then there's the three guys with player options: Kelly Ourbe, Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon. Like it or not, all three of those guys will probably be back. Drummond and Gordon are unlikely to find more lucrative deals on the open market, and the same might be true for Oubre, who has carved out a nice role for himself in Philly.

Predictions 

When it comes to which players will remain on the roster in Philadelphia after the offseason, here are some predictions:

It seems likely that the trio of Gordon, Drummond and Oubre will all be back for the reasons mentioned above. So, chalk that up.

Justin Edwards will be back too (again, a no-brainer), as will Quentin Grimes, who the Sixers will have to throw a substantial bag at in order to bring back, which they'll do. With the team prioritizing re-signing Grimes, Yabusele will go on to sign elsewhere, as will Lowry. Dowtin and Hood-Schifino will both be gone. The team will bring Butler back for some cheap guard depth, but they'll let Walker walk.

We'll find out how accurate these predictions prove to be in the coming weeks.

Key dates 

The Sixers have until June 27 to decide if they want to exercise Jared Butler's option for next season. They have until June 29 to make the same decision regarding Edwards and Walker.

Similarly, Gordon, Drummond and Oubre have until June 29 to make a decision regarding their own options for next season. NBA free agency will begin on June 30.

Follow Michael Kaskey-Blomain on X @therealmikekb.