The Philadelphia 76ers landed the final piece for their star-studded starting five with LeBron James, but that doesn’t conclude the roster-building process for the summer. Despite the Sixers filling up the roster up to this point, the team is already looking at its next move.
To no surprise, Philadelphia’s President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey is going for one of LeBron’s former teammates as speculated. No, it’s not the stars Anthony Davis or Kyrie Irving, as many speculated. The Sixers are looking to add a key role player in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who spent time with LeBron on the Los Angeles Lakers.
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
Bringing in a two-time champion
Back in 2019-2020, Caldwell-Pope played in 69 games with the LeBron-led Lakers. He averaged 25.5 minutes off the bench. That year, KCP shot 46.7% from the field and hit on 38.5% of his threes, averaging 9.3 points per game. Along with his scoring, Caldwell-Pope came down with 2.1 rebounds per game and dished out 1.6 assists per game.
Some might say the Lakers’ postseason run that year comes with an asterisk since it was during the NBA’s bubble-ball run, but the Lakers surely didn’t feel that way. Caldwell-Pope came out of that 21-game stretch as a full-time starter, producing 10.7 points per game, knocking down 37.8% of his threes, taking 5.7 attempts per game.
And in case you want to question his contributions during the bubble run, Caldwell-Pope proved he could serve on a championship-winning team for a second time in his career. Three years later, Caldwell-Pope played in 76 games for the Denver Nuggets as a full-time starter. He averaged 10.8 points per game, shooting 42.3% from three, on 4.2 attempts per game. His playoff numbers were nearly identical over a 20-game stretch.
After a two-year run with the Nuggets, Caldwell-Pope joined the Orlando Magic in 2024-2025 on a three-year, $66 million contract. Last summer, the Magic moved Caldwell-Pope to the Memphis Grizzlies. He appeared in 51 games with the Grizzlies last season, coming off the bench for all but 14 games. Caldwell-Pope produced 8.4 points per game, while shooting 31.6% from deep.
The LeBron influence
Bringing in the 41-year-old forward this offseason comes with more than one benefit. Sure, James is a great basketball fit for the Sixers’ starting five, but they become a desirable destination for win-now veterans. Caldwell-Pope might not have lived up to a $66 million deal, but getting the 33-year-old veteran on a minimum would be a low-risk move.
The buyout with the Grizzlies isn’t official just yet, but all signs point to the Sixers luring in the ex-LeBron teammate when it goes down. The Sixers will be shifting around the roster in the coming weeks to make the proper changes, while adding LeBron.
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