The Philadelphia 76ers have secured another championship-tested veteran. Now comes the difficult part.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is expected to join the 76ers on a one-year, $3.9 million contract after agreeing to a buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Saturday. The move reunites the two-time NBA champion with LeBron James and strengthens Philadelphia’s pursuit of an NBA title.
But Caldwell-Pope’s arrival also creates an immediate salary-cap challenge that president Mike Gansey must solve before the signing can become official.
ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks explained the situation shortly after Charania’s report.
“With LeBron James and now KCP, Philadelphia will need to clear out 2 contracts to fit within the first apron,” Marks wrote on X.
That isn’t merely a matter of trimming payroll. The 76ers are operating under one of the NBA’s strictest financial restrictions.
Dean Wade Signing Triggered the 76ers’ Hard Cap
Philadelphia’s cap crunch began earlier this offseason when it signed forward Dean Wade.
The 76ers used more than $6.1 million of the non-taxpayer midlevel exception to sign Wade, a move that automatically hard-capped the franchise at the NBA’s first apron under the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
That distinction is critical.
Unlike teams that can simply pay additional luxury tax, Philadelphia cannot exceed the first apron under any circumstances for the remainder of the 2026-27 league year.
Adding LeBron James and now Caldwell-Pope leaves the 76ers without enough room beneath that hard cap, making additional roster moves mandatory rather than optional.
Marks’ latest cap sheet projects Philadelphia’s payroll at roughly $212 million, leaving virtually no flexibility once Caldwell-Pope’s contract is factored into the equation.
Which Players Could Be Moved?
The easiest path appears to involve non-guaranteed contracts.
Marks’ projected roster lists Jabari Walker and Dalen Terry as non-guaranteed, making them logical candidates if the organization chooses the cleanest route to compliance.
Waiving or moving those contracts would create the flexibility needed to complete Caldwell-Pope’s signing while remaining below the first-apron hard cap.
Philadelphia could also pursue a trade involving guaranteed salary, but doing so would likely require sacrificing greater roster depth.
For now, Walker and Terry appear to be the most straightforward solutions.
Why Caldwell-Pope Is Worth the Extra Moves
Getty Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and LeBron James are reunited again in Philadelphia. Will their reunion lead to another title run?
Philadelphia isn’t navigating this cap obstacle simply to add another role player.
Caldwell-Pope brings exactly what a championship contender covets: elite perimeter defense, reliable 3-point shooting and postseason experience.
He won an NBA title alongside LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 before helping the Denver Nuggets capture another championship in 2023.
His addition deepens a roster already headlined by Joel Embiid, LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe while giving coach Nick Nurse another proven two-way veteran for high-leverage playoff minutes.
The 76ers have spent the offseason assembling one of the NBA’s deepest rosters.
Now Gansey must complete the final step.
The front office still needs to clear two contracts before Caldwell-Pope can officially become a member of the 76ers, but if Philadelphia can navigate the league’s hard-cap restrictions, another championship-caliber piece will soon join one of the Eastern Conference’s most talented teams.
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