As always, landing LeBron James means a few of his friends might be coming your way
The first of those to emerge is apparently Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who is negotiating a buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies and intends to reunite with James in Philadelphia
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James and Caldwell-Pope played three seasons together on the Los Angeles Lakers, winning an NBA title in COVID-bubble 2020 playoffs. The two also share Rich Paul of Klutch Sports as an agent
Throughout his career, Caldwell-Pope has filled the 3-and-D archetype, a kind of player that often matches well with James. It was a controversial decision when the Lakers opted to traded Caldwell-Pope away for Russell Westbrook, and it hardly aged well given that Caldwell-Pope soon won another title with the Denver Nuggets while the Lakers struggled to figure out what to do with Westbrook
Caldwell-Pope was due to make $21.6 million in 2026-27, but is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career. His 31.6% shooting from 3-point range was his worst mark since 2015-16, though he can still be a plus defender
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The Sixers won’t need him to be much. It was an active offseason even before they landed James, and they now have a fully stocked rotation. James, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe are the natural choices for the starting lineup. Behind them are Anfernee Simons, Dean Wade, Ariel Hukporti and more on the bench
At this stage in his career, Caldwell-Pope represents a low-cost roll of the dice for the Sixers. It’s certainly been a couple years since Caldwell-Pope has been on a true contender, so we might see a different level of motivation this upcoming season
