Not long after winning the monumental LeBron James bidding war, the rich get richer as the Philadelphia 76ers are now rumored to be signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. As reported by NBA insider Chris Haynes, the veteran wing is currently negotiating a contract buyout with the Grizzlies in order to join the 76ers, arming the team with a new 3-and-D specialist. That is obviously good news for the team, but not for someone like Justin Edwards.
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 addition of KCP is another testament to the 76ers going all-in on their title bid next season. As such, the team is absolutely not going to be interested in playing a waiting game with their young guns who have been struggling, such as Edwards, who will be auditioning for a consistent role in the rotation for the upcoming campaign.
The 76ers are not going to wait for Justin Edwards after adding KCP
Last season, Edwards failed to mount a good follow-up to his otherwise impressive rookie campaign. He averaged just six points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per outing on 44.7 percent shooting from the field, including 37.2 percent from 3-point territory, the latter of which only went up near the end of the regular season. His role got drastically shafted, as he ended up playing only 15.3 minutes on average, down from 26.3 in his freshman year.
The 22-year-old immensely struggled to begin the 2025-26 season, and he eventually saw himself stuck in Nick Nurse's doghouse. He got some minutes in the playoffs, but that can be attributed to the team not really having other options at forward at the time.
Edwards' will be on a short leash with the 76ers
Now, with James, Caldwell-Pope, and even Dean Wade giving the 76ers more playable bodies, Edwards' margin of error has only become thinner. He can no longer afford any slow start to the season, and it is incumbent upon him to convince the coaching staff to give him an actual role in the regular rotation during training camp.
Caldwell-Pope, in particular, is one of the steadiest veteran role players in the league. There is a reason why he has two rings under his name. He does not get rattled under pressure, and he seems to always make the right plays despite his limited usage with the ball.
Hopefully, ushering KCP in would help Justin Edwards gain a competitive edge. The 76ers will go with the player who is flat-out better, and if the latter cannot overcome his struggles, he could even see himself get jettisoned sooner rather than later.
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