The Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly getting a veteran side dish with the LeBron James entree they ordered.
James rocked the NBA landscape on Friday when he announced his decision to sign with the Sixers on a dirt-cheap 2-year contract. According to NBA reporter Chris Haynes, one of his former teammates is coming with him.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is reportedly in talks with the Memphis Grizzlies on a contract buyout that would make him a free agent. Per Haynes, KCP “intends to team back up” with James once the buyout is settled.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Memphis Grizzlies are negotiating a buyout and the veteran 3-&-D specialist intends to team back up with LeBron James and sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, league sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/938uLLvV2g
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 25, 2026
The 76ers sorely needed a shooting guard with Caldwell-Pope’s championship experience. Philly leaned heavily on a rookie VJ Edgecombe last season and later parted ways with both Jared McCain and Quentin Grimes. Relying on current reserves Anfernee Simons and incoming rookie Labaron Philon Jr. to back up Edgecombe was not exactly looking like a championship-caliber recipe for head coach Nick Nurse.
KCP won a championship with LBJ in the 2020 NBA bubble. He later won a second ring as the starting 2-guard on the 2022-23 Denver Nuggets.
Caldwell-Pope has been an above-average outside shooter for his career but has struggled with his shot over the past couple of seasons. He had a 35 percent clip on 4.3 attempts in his 2024-25 campaign with the Orlando Magic, then shot even worse at 31.6 percent last season with the Grizzlies.
But with so many on-ball creators on the 76ers heading into next season, it’s a safe bet that KCP finds his stroke again in Philly.
