Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is on his way to Philadelphia. ESPN reported Saturday that the veteran guard reached a buyout agreement with the Memphis Grizzlies and plans to sign a one-year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, setting up a reunion with his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate LeBron James.
Before he can put pen to paper with the Sixers, the 33-year-old must first clear waivers. The buyout between the Grizzlies and Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul — who serves as Caldwell-Pope’s agent — was finalized Saturday, just one day after Philadelphia agreed to bring James aboard on a two-year, $8 million contract.
Caldwell-Pope’s recent season was cut short after he underwent surgery to correct a misalignment in his right pinkie finger, causing him to miss the final 31 games of the 2025-26 campaign. In the 51 games he did play, he averaged 8.4 points, 2.7 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 21.3 minutes per contest.
The 13-year NBA veteran was originally selected eighth overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2013 NBA Draft. Over the course of his career with the Pistons, Lakers, Washington Wizards, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, and Grizzlies, he has appeared in 963 games — starting 784 of them — while averaging 11.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 29.2 minutes per game.
Caldwell-Pope has won two NBA championships during his career, capturing titles with the 2020 Lakers and the 2023 Nuggets.
