The Philadelphia 76ers have already turned heads with the addition of Jaylen Brown, and now LeBron James is set to join the mix on a deal that could still need some work before it becomes official.
“LeBron James is signing with the Philadelphia 76ers for his final run at another NBA championship, he announced Friday,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin wrote. “James, 41, is signing a two-year, $8 million contract with a player option, Klutch Sports Group CEO Rich Paul told ESPN's Shams Charania.”
That move gives Philadelphia another massive name to pair with an already loaded roster, and the team is not stopping there. The 76ers are also moving quickly on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who is expected to come aboard after working through a buyout with Memphis.
“Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is negotiating a buyout with the Grizzlies and intends to sign with the 76ers, per Chris B Haynes. KCP joins Bron in Philly,” Bleacher Report posted.
Caldwell-Pope and James know each other well from their time together with the Lakers, when they won the 2020 Bubble championship. That familiarity should make the fit easier once he arrives.
Still, there’s a wrinkle in James’ deal. ESPN’s Bobby Marks said the contract may need to be adjusted because of how Philadelphia’s cap situation is set up.
“If you sign a 1-year veteran deal, for cap tax purposes. $2.4 million counts against the cap, doesn’t matter if your 10 years of service, or 5 years of service… so when you do the math they’re hard capped at the first apron, that pushes them over the first apron by about 600,000,” Marks said.
So while James is committed to Philadelphia, the exact shape of that contract may change before everything is finalized. The 76ers have a few different ways to make the numbers work, and they’ll need to sort through them as they keep building around James and Brown for the upcoming season.
In Other News...
Lakers Legend Just Weighed In On LeBrons Place In Team History
James Worthy has never been shy about weighing in on what it means to matter in purple and gold, and his latest comments on LeBron James fit right into that tradition. The Lakers Hall of Famer credited James with helping restore the franchises relevance after a rough stretch, while also acknowledging the impossible standard that comes with being measured against the likes of Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant.
Worthys view was that James has already done enough to make his Lakers run a success, especially with the championship he delivered and the way he helped steady the teams direction. Even so, the bigger legacy question still hangs in the air, because in Los Angeles, greatness is never judged only by one title or one era, and the debate around where LeBron ultimately fits in franchise history is still very much alive. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Stuck In Another Kuminga Stalemate For One Frustrating Reason
Jonathan Kumingas free agency has turned into one of those slow-burn offseason situations where interest is easy to find, but the path to a deal is not. After the Hawks declined his player option for the 2026-27 season, Kuminga became an unrestricted free agent and immediately drew attention through both contract talks and sign-and-trade chatter, with the Lakers and Cavaliers among the teams linked to him. Atlanta has reportedly been open to moving him for Jarred Vanderbilt and draft picks, which at least gives the market a framework even if it has not produced much movement.
The issue now is less about whether teams want Kuminga and more about whether a structure can be found that works for everyone involved. He is said to be holding out for a better financial offer, and the longer this drags on, the more it becomes a question of leverage and timing as much as fit. For the Lakers, it is the kind of situation worth monitoring closely, because a player of Kumingas profile would change the conversation around the frontcourt if the right deal ever materializes. [Read more 🡒]