76ers Signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to 1-Year, $3.9 Million Contract

A move that was already rumored is taking the next step.

It was reported early Saturday morning by NBA insider Chris Haynes that veteran guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the Memphis Grizzlies were in the midst of negotiating a contract buyout that will allow him to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Now, that buyout is official, and the details of Pope's contract have been announced by ESPN's Shams Charania. He has agreed to the contract buyout with Memphis and plans to sign a one-year, $3.9 million deal with the Sixers after clearing waivers. 

An additional few moves will follow this signing, as the 76ers need to cut ties with two players to make room on the roster for Pope, but it's a very worthy sacrifice to make. It's likely to be a combination of either waiving Jabari Walker and Dalen Terry or trading Johni Broome and waiving one of the two aforementioned players. Regardless, Philadelphia is benefiting much more from the addition of the 13-year NBA veteran.

Pope is a reliable player who is experienced, a respectable shooter from the arc, and a strong defender.

The 33-year-old did only play in 51 games in the 2025-2026 campaign, which is the least of his entire career. However, it's typical to see him appear in at least 70 games during the regular season, so coach Nick Nurse should have no issues relying on him when needed.

Pope averaged 8.4 points, 2.7 assists, and 2.5 rebounds on 41.0% shooting and 31.6% shooting from three-point range for the Grizzlies last season.

It's tough to say exactly what his role in Philadelphia will look like, as the Sixers already have guards Labaron Philon Jr. and Anfernee Simons coming off the bench. Still, Pope offers a different style of play than either of those offensive-minded backcourt pieces. Defense is his specialty, which is an aspect the team's secondary guard room was lacking until now.

Nurse will have the ability to utilize Philon, Simons, and Pope based on the matchup.

While this is not anywhere near the 76ers' most significant addition this offseason, it's still a solid one from Mike Gansey and company.

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Anthony Pasciolla is the publisher of 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached via email at [email protected] or followed on X @AnthonyPasci.