Frank Reich and Aaron Glenn are teammates again with the New York Jets, looking to turn around the fortunes of a frustrated franchise.
Reich was hired Wednesday by Glenn as the Jets’ offensive coordinator — 30 years after they played together on New York’s 1-15 team. The former NFL and Stanford head coach replaces Tanner Engstrand, who agreed to part ways with the team last week after one season running the Jets’ offense.
Amid a major coaching staff shakeup this offseason, the 64-year-old Reich gives Glenn an experienced play caller and veteran presence on the offensive side of the ball. The team hired first-time defensive coordinator Brian Duker last week to replace Steve Wilks, who was fired with three weeks left in the season.
“Frank has a rare combination of experience, creativity, and calm under pressure,” Glenn said in a statement issued by the Jets.
Reich met in person with Glenn and the Jets on Tuesday after the team also sat down with Darrell Bevell and Greg Roman, other finalists for the job. The team had video meetings last week with all three candidates, as well as with Ronald Curry and Lunda Wells.
Reich went 4-8 as Stanford’s interim coach last season and was working in a senior adviser role for the Cardinal, who hired Tavita Pritchard as their coach in November. Reich was previously a head coach in the NFL for Indianapolis and Carolina.
He played 14 years in the NFL as quarterback, including during the 1996 season with Glenn when the Jets under Rich Kotite had the fewest wins in franchise history.
“He’s lived this game from every angle — as a quarterback in this league and as a coach who’s led offenses at the highest level,” Glenn said. “He is unique in his ability to see the game for what it is right now and adapt when appropriate. Frank understands offense and how to utilize the strengths of players.
“I am looking forward to how he will help this team have success.”
Reich went 40-33-1 with two playoff appearances in 4½ seasons as the head coach of the Colts before being fired in 2022. Reich, who was let go in midseason in back-to-back years, went 1-10 in a brief stint as Carolina’s coach in 2023. He previously had stops as the offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers (2014-15) and Eagles (2016-17), helping Philadelphia win the Super Bowl during the 2017 season.
Reich spent last year as Stanford’s interim head coach, replacing Troy Taylor, and led the Cardinal to their most victories since 2020.
With the Jets, Reich inherits an offense that finished last in the NFL in passing yards and 29th in both total yards per game and points per game this season. With Justin Fields benched after starting just nine games, the Jets are likely to add a veteran quarterback in free agency and perhaps target a potential future starter in the NFL draft.
Fields and undrafted rookie Brady Cook, who started the last four games, are the only Jets quarterbacks under contract for next season. The team will have to make a major decision on running back Breece Hall, who is coming off his first 1,000-yard rushing season but is scheduled to be a free agent. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who was limited to seven games because of a knee injury after having 1,000 yards receiving in his first three years, is expected to be healthy and ready to play at the start of next season.
Reich was a backup to former Jets and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason for three years at Maryland before becoming a starter during a season in which he led the Terrapins to a 42-40 victory over Miami after trailing 31-0 at halftime. He was a third-round draft pick of Buffalo in 1985 and spent most of his 10 years with the Bills as Jim Kelly’s backup.
During the 1992 season, Reich stepped in for an injured Kelly during the playoffs and rallied the Bills from a 32-point deficit to beat the Houston Oilers in the wild-card round in what was then the biggest comeback in NFL history.
Reich was the first quarterback in Carolina Panthers history in 1995 before joining the Jets the next season. He spent his final two years with Detroit. Reich began his coaching career as an intern with the Colts in 2006.
Tuesday’s public meeting was the first time community members — and the county commissioners themselves — were able to respond to an independent firm’s investigation and report, which found that insufficient training, poor oversight, and staffing challenges in the county’s elections office forced more than 12,000 voters to cast provisional ballots in the general election. The poll book error occurred as the 25-person department has faced unusually high turnover in recent years, and as the director faces allegations of fostering a toxic workplace.
“This is the first step, this is not the last step … to rebuilding trust with the public and improving elections in a way that ensures this never happens again,” Josh Maxwell, chairman of the county commissioners, told the attendees.
The 24-page report, prepared by West Chester law firm Fleck, Eckert, Klein & McGarry LLC and published last month, found that two employees mistakenly included only registered Democrats and Republicans when using the statewide voter roll to create the poll book, omitting more than 75,000 registered independent and unaffiliated voters from the rolls.
The employees, inexperienced and never formally trained, lacked direct supervision, the report said. No one in the county’s department checked the books until a poll worker noticed the omissions before polls opened on Election Day.
There was no evidence of malfeasance, the report said. County officials said previously that everyone who wanted to vote could cast a ballot, despite the issue.
Still, the error rocked Election Day in the county, with officialsscrambling to print supplemental poll books and poll workers staying late to address the challenges. Republican Commissioner Eric Roe broke with his Democratic peers by voting against the certification of the election results in December, saying his conscience would not allow it.
Community members said Tuesday the error further eroded trust in voting security.
John Luther addresses the Chester County Commissioners as they hold a public meeting to discuss the errors they had in the pole books during the November election. West Chester. Tuesday, February 3, 2026
“How many voters were disenfranchised and did not vote?” resident John Luther asked the commissioners. “That is the most important thing. You guys can fix all the rest, but you can’t fix what you messed up in the front.”
Kadida Kenner — who leads the New Pennsylvania Project, an organization dedicated to voter registration — said she rushed on Election Day to West Chester University, where the organization had helped students register to vote, to make sure they were not disenfranchised.
“I see the impact of this mistake, this opportunity for change and growth,” she said. “The events of Election Day really did not help our efforts to be able to overcome feelings of individuals, as it relates to the electoral process, here in the commonwealth and across the country.”
The report recommended more than a dozen changes for the county to prevent future errors, including improved training, reviewing processes and policies, and evaluating staff levels and pay. The county rolled out a plan to address the recommendations and intends to make monthly reports on its progress, saying some recommendations would be in place ahead of May’s primary.
“Everyone in this room knows that a grievous error was made, and everyone is upset about it,” resident Marian Schneider said. “We can stop the browbeating and focus on the path forward.”
The report stopped short of recommending personnel changes. Maxwell said the commissioners would not discuss personnel actions.
Attorney Sigmund Fleck addresses the Chester County Commissioners as they hold a public meeting to discuss the errors they had in the pole books during the November election. West Chester. Tuesday, February 3, 2026
“Bottom line, this appears to be a human error — clicking the wrong box,” said Sigmund Fleck, one of the attorneys who oversaw the report.
Residents worried that those errors were symptoms of a deeper problem, and that the report’s scope did not fully address issues within voter services.
“Yes, human error is a factor here,” Elizabeth Sieb told the commissioners. “This goes far beyond that. Mistakes of this magnitude require consequences.”
Fleck pointed to larger issues with the state’s election system that culminated in the error, such as tight turnaround times for publishing the poll books, lack of statewide training, and a fairly old-school online voting roll system.
Elizabeth Sieb addresses the Chester county commissioners as they hold a public meeting to discuss the errors they had in the pole books during the November election. West Chester. Tuesday, February 3, 2026
But other counties deal with those same complications, some community members argued. November’s error came after the county omitted the office of the prothonotary on the ballot in May’s primary. The report found that errorwas due to the county solicitor’s office misinterpreting state law.
“Sixty-seven counties face the same exact issues, except for one: management,” said Nathan Prospero Fox, a former voter services employee.
Roe acknowledged the anger directed at county staff, but said: “The truth is, the buck doesn’t stop with staff. It stops with us.”
“I am so sorry,” he continued. “This is not the end; there’s still time for accountability and improvement.”
This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
Apparel brand Fanatics issued an apology this week over the lack of availability and poor quality of its Super Bowl LX gear after complaints from New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks fans.
In a statement posted Monday night on social media, Fanatics wrote that “we’ve let Patriots and Seahawks fans down with product availability — we own that and we are sorry.”
The NFL’s official merchandising partner pointed to the surge in demand for Seahawks and Patriots gear after both teams missed the playoffs last year, and admitted that the company was struggling to “meet the overwhelming demand to keep team color jerseys in stock.”
NFL fans, we've seen your jersey feedback, and we take it very seriously. We’ve let Patriots and Seahawks fans down with product availability – we own that and we are sorry.
This Super Bowl matchup has created unprecedented challenges for us because of the massive surge in…
Fanatics’ statement also tried to downplay the images circulating on social media — “We’ve heard questions about the quality of these alternate jerseys and can assure you that, despite some unflattering photos, these jerseys are identical to the standard Nike replica ‘Game’ jersey,” the company said — but fans and members of the media keep showing proof that says otherwise.
Doug Kyed, Patriots’ beat reporter for the Boston Herald, shared photos of New England gear on site at the Super Bowl in the San Francisco area and there aren’t many options for fans looking to buy Patriots gear.
CBS national NFL reporter Jonathan Jones pointed out that a jersey purchased 10 years ago not only had better quality — it was cheaper, too.
A jersey bought today is a more expensive and worse product than, say, 10 years ago, and there’s no reason for it beyond greed. People spend good money and deserve better. Maybe this embarrassment will force this company to simply be better. https://t.co/IScsmgVZyG
The Patriots’ official pro shop posted a picture of its jersey options on Monday, and several X users pointed out that the Super Bowl LX patch location was different for each jersey.
Why are the Super Bowl patches in completely different spots on each jerseys?
Seahawks fans are also complaining about the lack of availability for jerseys. But Fanatics appears to have plenty, as long as you want one in a color that the team has never worn or one that is not a replica of team-worn gear.
Thx 4 the response but the "whites" are not replica to "game" jerseys. Ur product makes the photo unflattering. Where are the sleeve details that match the blue jerseys? Why do they look different between home and away if they are replica? No issues with the Blues its the whites. https://t.co/JnxlSOLEYOpic.twitter.com/07cz5k914H
This is hardly the first time Fanatics faced backlash for the quantity and quality of its products.
Eagles fans also had a hard time finding the team’s jerseys ahead of its Super Bowl LVII appearance, when, as with the Seahawks this year, the only jerseys available with a game patch were in a non-team color (silver) — not white, green, or even black. It was a problem again for Super Bowl LIX. One fan pointed out that even when his jersey did arrive, well after the 2023 title game, it featured a crooked number.
2022 Super Bowl every single Eagles SB jersey Fanatics sent out had crooked numbers (example below) & they were not even made available by Fanatics until after the game was over
Last year (LIX) you couldnt keep up w/ demand & stuff sold out instantly
Councilmember Jeffery Young pushed pause Tuesday on his highly controversial housing ban for the former Hahnemann hospital campus.
Young has proposed a “Vine Street Expressway” zoning overlay that would cover the shuttered medical center and its surroundings and block residential development from its largely empty buildings and lots.
However, an apartment development is proposed in the former Hahnemann patient towers by New York-based developer Dwight City Group — which is why most observers were stunned when Young introduced his last-minute bill banning all housing development from the area.
Then in a sudden reversal at a City Council hearing Tuesday, Young said he was not advancing the bill.
“We’re holding it so we can further [communicate] with all the community stakeholders that are involved,” Young said in an interview after the hearing. “We want to make sure that this project represents the best interest of the city of Philadelphia, and by continuing dialogue, we’ll achieve that goal.”
The art-deco style South Tower of the former for Hahnemann hospital complex, which is almost 100 years old.
No interest groups have officially come out in favor of the legislation. Pro-housing groups, the Logan Square Neighborhood Association, and the building trades unions have all expressed concerns about it.
Property owners who would be affected include influential local institutions including Brandywine Realty Trust and Drexel University. Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration was also concerned, especially as the administration pushes to get 30,000 units of housing built or repaired during her term through the Housing Opportunities Made Easy (H.O.M.E.) plan.
“This bill conflicts with the goals of the comprehensive plan and the goals of the H.O.M.E. plan to support residential development,” said testimony prepared for Paula Brumbelow Burns of the City Planning Commission.
Ironically, as a result of Young’s anti-housing legislation, permits have been secured for 824 units of housing on the former hospital site, as property owners rushed to secure the right to develop apartments before the feared ban would be enacted.
With the exception of Dwight City Group’s proposal, it is not clear that many of those permits will quickly result in housing.
The application for 300 units at Martinelli Park and 163 units at the Brandywine-owned Bellet building do not appear to signify new projects in the immediate future, but instead an effort to preserve value and flexibility of use.
Young argued that the legislation has been successful in that it compelled property owners to talk with his office about their plans.
“People need to understand what’s happening when you have large properties where potentially thousands of units will be developed there,” Young said. “We have properties that as a former hospital that’s filled with asbestos and other types of issues, no one knows what’s going on.”
The cocktail blenders will go silent in two months as all 28 locations of Bahama Breeze, the tropical-themed chain restaurant, shutter. Parent company Darden Restaurant has decided to wind down the long-struggling brand after 30 years.
Orlando-based Darden announced Tuesday that the locations in Cherry Hill and King of Prussia Malls — which opened in fall 2003 — are among 14 that will close permanently by early April.
The 14 remaining, mainly housed in standalone buildings in the South, will be converted into other Darden concepts over the next 12 to 18 months. The move will end a brand that once counted more than 40 locations nationwide.
People outside of a Bahama Breeze restaurant in 2021 in Orlando.
Bahama Breeze is just a tiny piece of Darden, whose portfolio of more than 2,100 restaurants and $12 billion in annual sales makes it one of the largest full-service operators in the United States. Its brands include Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Yard House, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, the Capital Grille, Chuy’s, Seasons 52, and Eddie V’s.
Bahama Breeze had become a tougher fit as casual dining increasingly chased value and convenience through delivery options. Its sprawling menu — encompassing such options as coconut shrimp, conch fritters, jerk chicken pasta, and Jamaican stuffed plantain bowls — also was seen as a liability.
In a statement, Darden said it had completed a review of “strategic alternatives” for Bahama Breeze and concluded that the brand no longer fits its long-term growth strategy.
While Darden did not release specific financials for Bahama Breeze, the chain has been a consistent underperformer. Over the last decade, the ownership group has repeatedly scaled back investment and closed locations with sagging sales.
Darden did not release the number of employees per location. It said it would work with affected employees to offer transfers to its other restaurants where possible.
The company will still be a major player in the Philadelphia area. Within five miles of the Bahama Breeze in King of Prussia, for example, Darden owns the Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Yard House, and Eddie V’s, plus the LongHorn in West Norriton. Within five miles of the Cherry Hill Bahama Breeze, it owns locations of the Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Olive Garden, and LongHorn in Cherry Hill, as well as Yard House in Moorestown Mall.
The local Bahama Breeze locations made the news over the years. In 2017, six employees at the King of Prussia location had contended that they were fired after skipping work for joining a “Day Without Immigrants” protest; the company disputed that.
On a lighter note, in 2023, retired NFL star Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson had dinner at the Cherry Hill location and left a $1,000 tip for his server, who was waiting tables to supplement her income as a middle school teacher.
President Donald Trump is planning to install a statue of Christopher Columbus on White House grounds, according to three people with knowledge of the pending move,in his latest effort to remake the presidential campus and celebrate the famed and controversial explorer.
The statue is set to be located on the south side of the grounds, by E Street and north of the Ellipse, two of the people said, although they cautioned that plans could change. The three people spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak on private discussions. The piece is a reconstruction of a statue unveiled in Baltimore by then-President Ronald Reagan and dumped in the city’s harbor by protestersin 2020 as a racial reckoning swept the country.
A group of Italian American businessmen and politicians, working with local sculptors, obtained the destroyed pieces and rebuilt the statue with financial support from local charities and federal grant funding.
Bill Martin, an Italian American businessman who helped recover the remnants of the original sculpture and organize a campaign to rebuild it, said the statue is expected to be transferred from a warehouse on Maryland’s Eastern Shore to the Trump administration in coming weeks.
The White House declined to comment on its plans but praised the 15th-century explorer.
“In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero,” spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement. “And he will continue to be honored as such by President Trump.”
As Columbus statues became something of a battleground in the broader tug-of-war over the nation’s history, Trump has repeatedly positioned himself as a staunch defender of a legacy he says has been dishonored by “left-wing arsonists.”
Trump included Columbus in a 2021 executive order of historical figures for his proposed National Garden of American Heroes, showcasing those who embody “the American spirit of daring and defiance, excellence and adventure, courage and confidence, loyalty and love.”
The Italian explorer is long celebrated for hisvoyage in 1492 to the Americas, opening up trade routes with Europe and setting the stage for colonization and enslavement. Some U.S. states now recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of Columbus Day; Joe Biden in 2021 became the first president to mark the holiday.
Trump campaigned in 2024 on promises to celebrate Columbus Day, and in October he signed a presidential proclamation to recognize Columbus as “the original American hero” and mark the annual holiday.
“We’re back, Italians. Okay? We love the Italians,” Trump said after signing the proclamation. He later said the move should help the Republican Party in the upcoming midterm elections.
“The Italian people are very happy about it. Remember when you go to the voting booths, I reinstated Columbus Day,” Trump told reporters at the White House last month.
Meanwhile, his administration pushes to scrub federal institutions of “corrosive ideology” recognizing historical sexism and racism and to leave its mark on the nation’s capital in a sweeping effort that has drawn complaints and lawsuits. The president rapidly demolished the East Wing annex last year to build his planned $400 million ballroom; paved over the Rose Garden to make room for a patio; and has imposed his vision on numerous internal fixtures and rooms, including the Lincoln Bathroom.
Historic preservationists have called on Trump to go through federal review panels before making further changes to the White House grounds.
In his first term, Trump decried the destruction of Columbus statues across the country. After administration officials learned about efforts in 2020 to rescue and preserve Baltimore’s statue, they asked to obtain it for possible installation on federal grounds, but the statue was not yet ready, said Martin, the businessman.
Martin estimated that he and his allies raised and spent more than $100,000 for their recovery and restoration efforts, which he said represented inspiration to the Italian American community.
“It’s not about Columbus ‘discovering America’ … it’s about the Italian immigrants who came here and looked to Columbus as a hero,” Martin said.
Nino Mangione, a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates, also was involved in efforts to recover the statue, and he praised Trump’s plan to install it at the White House.
“It is such an honor for the Italian American community,” Mangione wrote in an email. “This proves that gangs, thugs, and people of that ilk don’t control things by mob rule. … in America the people rule and our voices are heard.”
Columbus’s planned D.C. arrival comes on the heels of the administration’s reinstallation last October of a Confederate general that protesters had toppled and torched five years prior.
Albert Pike is now back on his plinth in a small federal park about a mile east of the White House, the only Confederate leader memorialized with an outdoor statue in Washington.
Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt on Wednesday rejected President Donald Trump’s false claims about voter fraud in the stateas Trump targeted Philadelphia in his push to nationalize elections.
The state’s top election official said Trump’s proposal would violate the Constitution, which he noted clearly gives states exclusive authority to administer elections.
“Pennsylvania elections have never been more safe and secure,” said Schmidt, who served as Philadelphia’s Republican city commissioner in 2020, when the city was at the center of Trump’s conspiracy theories.
“Thousands of election officials — Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike — across the Commonwealth’s 67 counties will continue to ensure we have free, fair, safe, and secure elections for the people of Pennsylvania,” he said in a statement.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday in the Oval Office, Trump cited Philadelphia, Detroit, and Atlanta as examples of where the federal government should run elections. He singled out three predominantly Black cities in swing states but offered no evidence of voter fraud or corruption to support his claims of a “rigged election.”
“Take a look at Detroit. Take a look at Pennsylvania, take a look at Philadelphia. You go take a look at Atlanta,” Trump said.“The federal government should get involved.”
Philadelphia has been a frequent target of Trump’s false claims of election fraud for several years, going back to his efforts to overturn his loss in the 2020 election. City and state officials have persistently pushed back on those claims, and there is no evidence that elections in the city have been anything but free and fair.
Trump is advocating for taking control of elections in 15 states, though his administration has not named which ones.
“The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over,’” Trump said in December. “We should take over the voting, the voting in at least many — 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”
But, Pennsylvania officials and experts noted, he lacks the power to do so unilaterally.
“The president has zero authority to order anything about elections,” said Marian Schneider, an election attorney who was Pennsylvania’s deputy secretary of elections during the 2016 election.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed to reporters early Tuesday the president was referring to the SAVE Act, legislation proposed by House Republicans require citizens to show documents like a passport or driver’s license to register to vote.
But Trump didn’t mention the legislationTuesday.
Trump will face an uphill battle in nationalizing elections as even some Republicans in Congress are already pushing back. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) told reporters Tuesday he disagreed with Trump on any attempt to nationalize elections, calling it “a constitutional issue.”
“I’m not in favor of federalizing elections,” Thune said.
Still, Trump’s comments raised alarm as his administration continues to sow doubt in the nation’s elections.
“This is clearly a case of Trump trying to push the boundaries of federal involvement in election administration because he has a problem with any checks on his power, democracy being one of them,” said Montgomery County Commissioner Neil Makhija, an attorney and a Democrat who chairs the Montgomery County Board of Elections.
Trump’s comments came a week after the FBI seized ballots and voting records from the 2020 election from the Fulton County election hub in Georgia. In a statement, Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. said the countywill file a motion in the Northern District of Georgia challenging “the legality of the warrant and the seizure of sensitive election records, and force the government to return the ballots taken.”
Lisa Deeley, a Democratic member of the Philadelphia city commissioners, who oversee elections, accused Trump of trying to distract from federal agents killing two civilians in Minnesota last month.
“We all know the President’s playbook by now. His remarks on elections are an effort to change the conversation from the fact that the Federal Government is killing American citizens in Minneapolis,” Deeley said in a statement.
Trump has been making similar claims since 2016, when he erroneously blamed fraud for costing him the popular vote.During a debate with his 2020 opponent, Joe Biden, Trump said, “Bad things happen in Philadelphia, bad things,” viewed at the time as an attempt to sow doubt about the election results and mail voting during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite losing to Biden in Pennsylvania in 2020 by a little more than 80,000 votes, Trump has repeatedly claimed he actually won, lying about mail-in votes “created out of thin air” and falsely stating there were more votes than voters.
“Every single review of every single county in the commonwealth has come back within a very small difference, if any, of the results reported back in 2020,” Kathy Boockvar, who served as Pennsylvania’s secretary of state during the 2020 election, told The Inquirer in 2024.
SAN FRANCISCO — On Feb. 4, 2025, Quentin Grimes finished a shootaround in Philly as a Dallas Maverick and then, while at the team hotel, became a 76er.
“Well, I’m already here,” Grimes recalled thinking back then. “I don’t have to go far at all.”
The 25-year-old guard is coming up on one year since he changed teams during a whirlwind trade deadline. In the months since then, Grimes has put up career numbers while the Sixers tanked to end last season. He went through a messy restricted free agency before signing a one-year, $8.7 million qualifying offer. And he has navigated an up-and-down 2025-26 season as a sixth man before he can enter unrestricted free agency this summer.
Entering Thursday’s trade deadline, Grimes’ expiring contract comes with a massive caveat — that he can veto any proposed deal. When asked Monday if he envisions any scenario that he would approve a deal, Grimes responded, “Nah, I haven’t even thought about that.” But Grimes does feel some relief that he will not be caught off guard by any move.
“It’s a little different now,” Grimes said Monday before the Sixers’ 128-113 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. “Because nothing’s going to happen unexpectedly on my [end].”
Another reason Grimes might not waive that no-trade clause? That would cause him to lose his “Bird” rights, which allow a team to re-sign its own players for a higher salary. So unless Grimes viewed a potential landing spot as an ideal long-term fit, he likely wouldn’t approve a deal.
Grimes is averaging 13.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and one steal in 46 games. The dip in role and production from last season, when he averaged 21.9 points in 28 games with the Sixers, is understandable. When he arrived after the trade with Dallas, the Sixers put the ball in Grimes’ hands as a leading scorer while the bulk of the roster was injured and the organization transitioned to vying for a high draft pick.
Sixers guard Quentin Grimes is averaging 13.0 points in a reserve role this season.
After looking like an NBA Sixth Man of the Year contender early this season, Grimes hit shooting ruts for stretches of December and January. He has connected on just 26% of his three-point attempts in his past 14 games. Sixers coach Nick Nurse last month publicly floated the idea of putting Grimes in the starting lineup to try to jump-start his play, though that never materialized.
Now, though, Grimes is in line for more immediate opportunity after starting wing Paul George was suspended 25 games for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy.
Nurse said the Sixers need Grimes’ consistently “great effort” as a perimeter defender, where George was such an important tone-setter. Ditto for Grimes’ scoring punch off the bench. Nurse added that he wants Grimes to increase his three-point attempts beyond the 5.5 he averages this season and certainly more than the 3.5 in his past 11 games.
Nurse also noted Grimes’ ability to play double-digit-minute stretches, typically to join the lineups featuring the starters that close both halves.
“That’s possible if he’s in his groove a little bit,” Nurse said. “We’ve just got to help him get back to that.”
Grimes has flashed that impact during the first two games of the Sixers’ Western Conference road trip.
He scored 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting — including a nasty dunk — and added four assists in Monday’s victory over the Clippers. The next night, in a 113-94 win at the Golden State Warriors, Grimes finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and three assists. He mixed sharp drives to the basket with step-back three-pointers. And he was a key component of the Sixers’ bench unit that built a 15-point second-quarter lead and helped put the game away in the final period.
Quentin Grimes is in line for more playing time after the 25-game suspension of Paul George.
“Kind of getting back into a rhythm,” Grimes said when asked about his goals before the mid-February All-Star break, “how I kind of was early in the season.”
Grimes’ first full season with the Sixers comes after both sides were unable to reach an agreement on a long-term contract in restricted free agency. The barren leaguewide market, a product of the new collective bargaining agreement and its “apron” penalties, meant Grimes did not receive an offer sheet from another team that he could have used as leverage. Since signing the one-year qualifying offer in October, Grimes has switched his representation to CAA.
Last year reminded Grimes that “things happen quick” at the trade deadline. This year, he knows he will not be caught off guard by a deal while at the Sixers’ Los Angeles-area hotel heading into Thursday.
Yet even after last year’s chaotic move, Grimes is content that he wound up with the Sixers.
“I didn’t know if it worked out at the time,” he said, “but it kind of worked out in the end.”
It was a huge game against a team above them in the standings, but also on the outside of the Stanley Cup Playoff picture. The win moved the Flyers within seven points of the Metropolitan Division’s third spot, currently held by the New York Islanders, and the Boston Bruins, who are sitting in eighth in the Eastern Conference.
The Orange and Black had more energy, held off a surge by the Capitals in the third, and were able to snag the all-important two points.
Here are three things to know from the win that saw the Flyers score four goals for just the second time since beating the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 6.
Matvei Michkov played almost 16 minutes
Hitting the ice just minutes after general manager Danny Brière spoke about the latest Michkov-Rick Tocchet discourse, the Russian winger played 15 minutes, 54 seconds across 21 shifts. It was the highest total since he played a little over 16 minutes against the New York Islanders on Jan. 26 and his 12th-most minutes this season.
Michkov averaged 45-second shifts after he averaged 34 on Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings, when he played a controversial 10:21. Was it a point of focus to have him take longer shifts?
“Yeah, a little bit,” coach Rick Tocchet said. “We talked yesterday, too, a little bit about if you feel like staying, get out there. Obviously, if you’re winded, get off. But, I thought he was moving.”
Michkov played well at times. He set up Bobby Brink for a chance late in the third and was a key contributor to Owen Tippett’s goal that opened the scoring just under six minutes into the game, marking the 19th time in 55 games that the Flyers scored first — and their 11th win.
On the goal, Trevor Zegras gained the zone and dished to Michkov, who carried the puck around the net. He took it around and up the right boards before threading the needle through two Capitals to Travis Sanheim at the left point. The defenseman then threaded the needle himself to Tippett in the right circle before the forward went across the crease and scored on the backhand.
“We knew we would have a little bit of room coming out of the corners there,” Tippett said. “I think that was a great pass to find Sanny, and Sanny made a great play to kind of calm it down and pass it right back to me.”
In hindsight — and after taking a deep breath from a busy night — Dan Vladař should have gotten one of the three stars of the game from this reporter.
The Czech goalie stopped 26 of 28 shots to win his 17th game of the season. He raised his save percentage to .904 and dropped his goal-against average to the 10th-best in the NHL (2.49) among goalies who have played at least 20 games.
Flyers goalie Dan Vladar (left) helped lift Owen Tippett and the Flyers to a much-needed win.
He allowed two goals — one a short-handed goal by Aliaksei Protas and the other a rebound goal by Anthony Beauvillier, who was left all alone in front. But while the team was facing some adversity, Vladař was pumping them up, too.
“He’s a leader,” said Tocchet, adding that while Vladař doesn’t wear a letter — goalies aren’t allowed — for him, he has one.
“I forget when he came by our bench [but] he said, ‘Guys, why are you guys holding your head down? Let’s go here.’ And I love that. It’s good to hear that. He’s our goalie, and [has] a lot of character. He’s been like that all year.”
Vladař was solid in net. In the first period, he made a save with 15:53 left, sliding across to rob Dylan Strome on a power play. Later in the frame, while shorthanded, he stopped Strome again as the puck popped up and he swiped it away with some help from his defenseman, Travis Sanheim, who swiped it further away — but he won’t be doing that in a few days.
“We play him in Game 1, too. I won’t be helping him out like I did,” he joked, noting that Sanheim’s Canada squad will be taking on Vladař and the Czechs on Feb. 12 (10:40 a.m.)
In the third period, he stopped Brandon Duhaime’s shot after Rasmus Ristolainen couldn’t get the puck out, and with six attackers on for the Capitals, off a faceoff deep in the Flyers’ end, Vladař stopped an Alex Ovechkin slapshot. It was one of nine low-danger shots he faced; however, according to Natural Stat Trick, he did see seven high-danger shots.
“That’s one thing that you cannot really control as a goalie,” he said about facing high-danger shots. “You’re there to stop the puck, no matter where the shots are coming from. Mentality is still the same for me, trying to keep as many as I can out of the net. And then having the confidence in the group that I think that we can be scoring two or three every single night.”
Jamie Drysdale (9) has helped power-play goals become a recent and much sought-after habit for the Flyers.
A power-play goal!
Jamie Drysdale has been on and off the power play all season, but lately he’s been getting power-play time. On Tuesday, he finally got on the board.
Zegras got the puck in the corner and threw a reverse hit into Martin Fehérváry to create time and space for himself. He skated up, utilized that time and space to find Drysdale as he slid into the spot atop the circles and fired off the one-timer that popped off the top of the pad of goalie Clay Stevenson and in.
The goal is Drysdale’s fourth of the season and first on the man advantage, giving him five power-play points.
“I think I had my chances, to be honest with you, I just couldn’t put the puck in the net,” Drysdale said. “Guys did a great job of finding me and finding holes, and it was nice to see one go in.”
Philly went 1-for-3 and has now scored on the man advantage for three straight games (3-for-8).
“Well, I like the shot by Jamie. That’s what we need is that … three feet [off the ground shot],” Tocchet said, using his hands to show the amount. “It’s that hard [shot] so we can get a tip on it. I think sometimes our shots are a little high, blocker side, and we talked about, before the power play, what we wanted, and we executed.
“I thought Trevor did a really nice job, like he was excellent. He went low. He body positioned the guy, the guy goes down, he doesn’t do that, maybe they get the puck out. So Trevor did a nice job to set that play up, and then obviously, Jamie, that’s the shots we need.”
To judge the move in more definitive terms would be irresponsible given the amount of time that still remains between now and Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. The final verdict depends on what happens next. If nothing happens next, then, yeah, the Sixers’ decision to jettison their promising 2024 first-round pick will rank somewhere on a spectrum between “underwhelming” and “foolish.” If their primary motivation was to duck below the luxury tax yet again, it will be a level beyond foolish. It will be criminal.
That being said, there are a lot of other ifs in play, many of them more plausible than Daryl Morey viewing a legitimate asset as a cost-savings vehicle. The NBA’s in-season hot stove is sizzling right now. The Mavericks traded All-Star center Anthony Davis to the Wizards, thereby finalizing their aggregate return for Luka Doncic at a grand total of three first-round picks, each of which is more likely to be closer to No. 30 than to No. 1. Trade rumors continue to circulate around Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, with suitors like the Timberwolves and Heat jockeying to present Milwaukee with an offer that will convince it to strike a deal now rather than wait for the offseason. There are a lot of dominoes left to fall, and the Sixers could easily end up toppling one — or being one.
As of Wednesday night, there were no indications that the Sixers were gearing up to make a legitimate run at acquiring Giannis, who was previously reported to be intrigued by the possibility of teaming up with Tyrese Maxey and the Sixers. Such a move would almost certainly require the Sixers to part with rookie star V.J. Edgecombe. That’s a move they almost certainly will not do.
But the Sixers could easily end up involved on the periphery of the Giannis talks. If Minnesota is determined/desperate to add Giannis, then it would presumably need to be desperate/determined to acquire the first-round picks that the Bucks would require (the Timberwolves don’t have much in the way of draft capital to trade). Minnesota’s determination/desperation creates some intriguing possibilities for a third team that does have first-round picks it can trade. The dream scenario would be someone like young sweet-shooting big man Naz Reid becoming available. A more realistic opportunity could come in the form of former Villanova-turned-Knicks-turned-Timberwolves grinder Donte DiVincenzo.
I’m throwing those names out there mostly as for-instances. The world remains Morey’s oyster until the clock strikes 3 p.m. EST on Thursday.
After less than two seasons with the Sixers, Jared McCain is saying goodbye to the City of Brotherly Love — and fans are saying goodbye to McCain, who was a favorite for rookie of the year last season before suffering a knee injury.
“Mom how good was Jared McCain during his rookie year before getting injured” pic.twitter.com/wYt7f4BsZR
But it wasn’t just his presence on the court that Sixers fans were falling in love with. McCain also made a name for himself on social media, boasting 4.9 million followers on TikTok and 1.9 million followers on Instagram.
So it’s no surprise that Philly fans took to social media to express their condolences about the trade. That’s right, condolences. Sixers fans are mourning the trade and reluctantly saying farewell to McCain in the process.
The fact that Sam Presti wants Jared McCain is a reason not to trade Jared McCain https://t.co/A8EAX9YyTL
I would guess that this is setting up another move, though. If part of the calculus here was ducking the tax, that’s outrageous https://t.co/ta3KRTdUZn
Bulls trading Coby White, Mike Conley Jr. to the Hornets: ESPN
Just in: The Chicago Bulls are trading Coby White and Mike Conley Jr. to the Charlotte Hornets for Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng and three second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/NnHXT5b8lR
Sixers trading Jared McCain to the Thunder for draft picks
The Sixers are trading Jared McCain to the Thunder.
Jared McCain’s tenure with the 76ers is over.
A source confirmed the team is trading the second-year guard to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for the Houston Rockets’ 2026 first-round pick and three second-round selections. One of the second-rounders is the 2027 most favorable pick from the Oklahoma City, Houston, Indiana Pacers, and the Miami Heat. The other second-rounders are the 2028 Milwaukee Bucks and 2028 Thunder picks.
McCain averaged 6.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while shooting 37.8% on three-pointers in 37 games this season. Moving the 21-year-old also enabled the Sixers to free up an additional roster spot and get below the luxury tax threshold.
The Sixers are just $1.2 million above the tax threshold after receiving $5.8 million in tax-variance credit due to Paul George’s 25-game unpaid suspension for violating the NBA’s Anti-Drug Program. Now, they’re $3 million below after getting rid of McCain’s $4.2 million salary.
McCain had his rookie season cut short because of a torn meniscus in his left knee. And on top of that December 2024 injury, he had the start of this season delayed after suffering a torn ligament in his right thumb in September.
The 16th pick of the 2024 draft averaged 10.0 points while making 38.1% on his three-pointers in 60 career games with the Sixers.
BREAKING: The Dallas Mavericks are trading 10-time NBA All-Star Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell and Dante Exum to the Washington Wizards for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, 2 first-round picks and 3 second-rounders, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/sfrQQubI5i
An NBA trade deadline week stunner. Clearly, the Wizards have completed their deconstruction phase and are now moving toward Young and Davis leading a rising young core. Washington has turned its previous Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma trades into Young, Davis and five pick swaps.
Can Sixers counter moves by other Eastern Conference teams?
The Sixers could use immediate help due to Paul George’s suspension.
The Eastern Conference remains tightly packed, with three games separating the second-place New York Knicks and sixth-place 76ers entering Wednesday.
Eastern Conference standings
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And some of the teams above the Sixers have already begun bolstering their roster, with more than 24 hours remaining before Thursday’s deadline.
The Cleveland Cavaliers traded for former Sixer James Harden, sending All-Star Darius Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Boston Celtics shored up their center spot by acquiring Nikola Vucevic from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Anfernee Simons. And the Detroit Pistons, who remain comfortably at the top of the conference, added sharpshooter Kevin Huerter in exchange for Jaden Ivey.
How could the Sixers counter? Their roster is tricky with three players on max contracts, including the suspended Paul George. His absence means the Sixers could use immediate help at the wing or in the frontcourt.
The Bucks are currently in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, 10 games below .500 and completely out of the playoff picture. Hopes for a second-half turnaround seem fleeting under Doc Rivers, who’s barely been a .500 coach (84-82) in his two-and-a-half seasons with the Bucks.
“I want to be here, but I want to be here to win, not fighting for my life to make the playoffs,” Antetokounmpo said.
James Harden and Tyrese Maxey, when they were Sixers teammates in 2023.
SAN FRANCISCO – Tyrese Maxey did not need to join the speculation about James Harden being traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Maxey could just call his former teammate.
“I talked to him [Monday] a bit about it,” Maxey said following the 76ers’ win at the Golden State Warriors Tuesday night. “Hey, look, if he’s happy, I’m happy. That’s all that matters.”
When Harden missed his second consecutive game for personal reasons on Monday against the Sixers, reports of a deal percolating between the Clippers and Cavaliers surfaced during the matchup. The trade, which also sends Darius Garland to Los Angeles, became official Tuesday as part of a flurry of moves about 48 hours before the deadline. It was a stunning turn of events, given the Clippers are in the midst of a massive turnaround and Harden was playing at a borderline All-Star level, averaging 25.4 points, 8.1 assists, and 4.8 rebounds in 44 games.
But the Sixers and Maxey are plenty familiar with Harden forcing his way off a team. It is how he wound up leaving Philly for the Clippers as part of a blockbuster trade early in the 2023-24 season, after the Sixers would not offer him a long-term extension in the summer of 2023. The Sixers acquired Harden at the 2022 trade deadline in a massive deal that sent Ben Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets.
Still, Maxey and Harden remain close. On the court, Maxey called Harden “somebody who elevates the people that he played with,” and expects him to provide the same to a Cavaliers team that entered Wednesday a half-game up on the Sixers for fifth place in a crowded middle of the Eastern Conference standings.
“He does James Harden stuff,” Maxey said. “He’s a dynamic player with playoff experience. Knows how to play the game. Knows how to get guys involved. Take some pressure off of D. Mitch [Donovan Mitchell], for sure, and get those other guys – [Evan] Mobley, [Jarrett] Allen, [Jaylon] Tyson – easy shots.”
Sixers light on trade assets beyond Maxey and Edgecombe
Tyrese Maxey with teammate VJ Edgecombe.
Aside from Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, the Sixers don’t have the assets needed to acquire the type of player who could drastically improve the team via a trade. And the Sixers aren’t going to trade either player.
Joel Embiid is once again playing at an elite level, averaging 29.3 points over the last 15 games. However, he has an extensive injury history and a three-year, $193 million contract extension that kicks in next season. While he looks great at the moment, there is a lot of uncertainty concerning how he’ll hold up in the future.
Meanwhile, Paul George has a tough contract to move after signing a four-year, $211.5 million deal in July 2024. At this stage of his career, he’s recognized as a fourth option on a championship team. Yet George is being paid as a top-two player. As a result, it’s hard to justify taking on his salary at this time.
And since the Sixers aren’t going to trade Maxey or Edgecombe, they shouldn’t forfeit their future by surrendering draft picks to facilitate a trade. They’ll need those picks to acquire young talent and continue building around Maxey and Edgecombe after Embiid and George leave Philly.
What’s the Sixers top priority: upgrading the roster or saving money?
Daryl Morey, the Sixers President of basketball operations, with head coach Nick Nurse in 2024.
Last Week, Joel Embiid expressed his desire to avoid the Sixers’ annual salary dump at the trade deadline to avoid paying the luxury tax.
“So hopefully we keep the same team,” Embiid said on Thursday. “I love all of the guys that are here. I think we’ve got a shot.
“I don’t know what [the front office is] going to do. But I hope that we get a chance to go out there and compete because we’ve got a good group of guys in this locker room, and the vibes are great.”
The team is just $1.2 million over the luxury tax threshold, thanks to a $5.8 million tax variance credit because of George’s unpaid suspension, during which he will lose $11.7 million.
Before George’s suspension, the Sixers were $7 million over the tax threshold and were expected to trade away at least one expiring contract. While the Sixers are still expected to make some type of move, they can keep all three of the players — Quentin Grimes ($8.7 million salary), Kelly Oubre Jr. ($8.3 million), and Andre Drummond ($5 million) — who had expiring contracts that could have helped them duck the tax.
Will Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo end up on another team by the trade deadline?
It’s unclear if the Milwaukee Bucks will trade away Giannis Antetokounmpo, but there are at least four teams seriously interested in landing the two-time MVP, according to multiple reports – Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat and New York Knicks
The question is whether those offers are large enough for a team to land the “Greek Freak.” According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, they’re not, meaning “this saga looked likely to extend into the summertime.”
In one proposed trade by ESPN’s NBA insiders, the Bucks would send Antetokounmpo to Philadelphia for Paul George, VJ Edgecombe, and two unprotected first-round picks. Fun, but it appears unlikely the Sixers are willing to part with their rookie phenom.
Three former Sixers players part of deals ahead of NBA trade deadline
James Harden is heading to Cleveland in a swap for point guard Darius Garland.
James Harden to the Cavaliers (per ESPN): The one-time Sixers star/disappointment is on the move again, this time heading to Cleveland in a swap for two-time All-Star Darius Garland. Cleveland is also reportedly sending a second-round pick to the Clippers for Harden, who will join Donovan Mitchell on the court with the goal of advancing past the second round of the playoffs.
Nikola Vucevic to the Celtics (per AP): Boston gets frontcourt depth in exchange for guard Anfernee Simons. The two teams are also reportedly swapping second-round picks. Vucevic, whom the Sixers took in the first round of the 2011 NBA draft, spent the past five and a half seasons with the Bulls.
Kevin Huerter headed to Detroit (per ESPN): The Pistons added some depth in a four-player, three-team deal that will also send former Sixers fan favorite Dario Saric (“The Homie”) to Detroit. The Pistons will also reportedly get a 2026 first-round protected draft pick swap from the Minnesota Timberwolves, whose main motivation is to create salary space. The third team in the deal, the Chicago Bulls, get Mike Conley Jr. and Jaden Ivey.
Boston Celtics post player Chris Boucher is a player the Sixers are reported to have some “exploratory” interest in, according to a HoopsHype report.
A source downplayed the interest in the reserve power forward/center, who has appeared in only nine games this season with the Boston Celtics, averaging just 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 10.4 minutes.
However, he flourished in the last seven seasons as a reserve glue guy for the Toronto Raptors. Sixers coach Nick Nurse was Raptors coach during Boucher’s first five seasons in Toronto. Nurse was able to get the best out of the undersized post player, who averaged 8.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 406 games as a Raptor.
Boucher signed a one-year, veteran minimum contract with Boston for $3.2 million, with a cap hit of $2.2 million.
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe is averaging 15.1 points and 4.2 assists in his rookie season.
This shouldn’t need to be said, but the Sixers aren’t going to trade VJ Edgecombe for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Nor should they. Which also shouldn’t need to be said.
Just in case, let’s say it again.
No Edgecombe for Giannis. No Edgecombe for anyone. No Edgecombe at the trade deadline. No Edgecombe in the offseason.
No Edgecombe, know peace.
To be clear, this isn’t about Giannis, who’s in the midst of the most efficient season of his career, by virtually every measure.
This is purely about Edgecombe. To understand his immense present and future value, you have to watch him on the court. It’s incredibly rare for a 20-year-old rookie to average 35.6 minutes per night for a team that is six games over .500 and has a legitimate chance to make a playoff run. It’s even rarer for said rookie to do it with the maturity and grace that Edgecombe exhibits at both ends of the court. And it’s rarer still for a rookie to possess that veteran-level basketball IQ while also possessing such an electric athletic upside.
Sources have said the Sixers are open to trading veteran center Andre Drummond.
Kelly Oubre Jr. ($8.4 million salary): Before Paul George’s 25 game suspension, Oubre’s was viewed as the Sixers’ most tradable contract — especially if the front office was instructed to get under the luxury tax. Now he is vital to the current roster as a tenacious wing defender and offensive player who can slash to the basket — and he has upped his three-point percentage.
Quentin Grimes ($8.7 million): This comes with a massive asterisk because Grimes has the power to veto any trade after signing a one-year qualifying offer in October. Additionally, any trade approved by Grimes would relinquish his’ “Bird” rights, which allow teams to offer their own players a higher salary in free agency. So unless the new destination appears to be an ideal long-term fit, it is unlikely Grimes would sign off on any trade-deadline move and instead enter unrestricted free agency this summer.
Andre Drummond ($5 million): What once looked like a resurgent Drummond season has turned into an odd role for the 14-year veteran. He starts whenever Joel Embiid sits out for injury or load-management reasons, and does not play at all when Embiid is in the lineup. That theoretically makes Drummond expendable — and perhaps the most likely (fringe) rotation player to depart at the deadline.
Eric Gordon ($3.6 million): Gordon, on the tail end of a successful career, has played in only six games in his second season as a Sixer. Trading the 37-year-old in a salary-dump move would open up an additional roster spot that could be used to sign Dominick Barlow or Jabari Walker to a standard NBA contract. One wrinkle: Gordon is close with rookie standout VJ Edgecombe, who played with Gordon on the Bahamian national team.
Kyle Lowry ($3.6 million): Lowry is in his 20th NBA season. Like Gordon, he is on a veteran minimum contract. It feels less likely that the Sixers would let go of the Philly native and former Villanova star, given his primarily off-the-court role as a respected leader in the locker room and on the bench.
