Kentavious Caldwell-Pope reportedly negotiating buyout to join Sixers, team up with LeBron James
Caldwell-Pope was a key member of the 2020 Los Angeles Lakers team that delivered James' fourth NBA title. He also won a title with the Denver Nuggets in 2022-23.
As if LeBron James’ decision to join the 76ers wasn’t enough, the franchise could be adding further reinforcements.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope reportedly is negotiating a buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies with the intention to join the Sixers and team up with James, according to NBA on Prime insider Chris Haynes. The pair won a title together in 2020 as a members of the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA’s COVID-19 bubble.
Caldwell-Pope averaged 8.4 points, 2.5, rebounds and 2.7 assists for the Grizzlies last season. The shooting guard originally joined the franchise via trade to help stars Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. compete in the Western Conference. But the team has entered a rebuild, and Morant and Jackson were traded to the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz, respectively, within the past five months.
That leaves Caldwell-Pope, 33, looking for a new team as he enters the latter years of his NBA career, and the Sixers have become a legitimate title contender this summer. Before adding James, they completed a blockbuster trade to land All-NBA wing Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics, teaming him with the preexisting core of Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and VJ Edgecombe.
» READ MORE: Tracing Tyrese Maxey’s maturation from undersized rookie to key cog in the LeBron James signing
Caldwell-Pope played some of his best basketball alongside James and averaged 11.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in four seasons (2017-18 to 2020-21) in Los Angeles, three of which (2018-19 to 2020-21) overlapped with James. He took his game to another level in the 2020 postseason and played key defense vs. former Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler while averaging 12.8 points in the NBA Finals.
Caldwell-Pope, who also won a championship with the Denver Nuggets in 2022-23 while averaging 10.8 points in 76 games (all starts), would bring instant credibility and defensive presence to the Sixers’ bench rotation. He also shot better than 40% from three-point range three times since 2020-21, which would help a Sixers team on which spacing will be at a premium as they strive to create offense for James, Maxey, Brown, and Embiid.
One of the original three-and-D prototypes, Caldwell-Pope is a 36.5% career three-point shooter, though his numbers have dipped slightly in recent years. He’s averaged 11 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 13 seasons with the Grizzlies, Orlando Magic, Nuggets, Washington Wizards, Lakers, and Detroit Pistons.
