Haynes: KCP, Memphis negotiating contract buyout

The report comes after LeBron James’ decision to sign with the 76ers as a free agent. With Caldwell-Pope potentially heading to Philadelphia after being bought out of Memphis, he’d team up with James, with whom he won an NBA championship back in 2020. The 13-year veteran averaged 8.4 points and shot just 31.6 percent from beyond the arc last season in Memphis.

Tonje spent his rookie season with the Celtics as a two-way player, where he appeared in six regular-season contests and totaled 15 points, six rebounds and two assists. His reported deal comes on the heels of a strong NBA Summer League showing. Tonje will join a crowded Portland backcourt this upcoming season. He is not expected to have much fantasy value.

After one season in Indiana and two in Utah, Tshiebwe is headed to Houston. Specifics regarding the deal were not announced, but the 6-foot-9 forward/center may be on a non-guaranteed deal. Tshiebwe has appeared in 49 NBA games over his three professional seasons, averaging 7.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in 15.2 minutes per game. Even if he is on the Opening Night roster, Tshiebwe is unlikely to have an impact on fantasy basketball next season.

The LeBron James free agency saga has reached its conclusion, with the future Hall of Fame forward reportedly picking Philadelphia as his new home. Despite being 41 years old, James still has plenty left in the tank, as evidenced by his 2025-26 season with the Lakers. Appearing in 60 games, he averaged 20.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.3 three-pointers while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 73.7 percent from the foul line. While James’ streak of All-NBA selections ended due to his not appearing in 65 games, the production remained good enough for him to offer reliable fantasy value. While his fantasy ceiling takes a hit with the move to Philadelphia, LeBron’s floor should be fine, with the occasional spike when factoring in Joel Embiid’s injury history.

With Jayson Tatum out for most of the season, Walsh took on an increased role for the shorthanded Celtics. He’ll be rewarded with an extension that will keep him with the team through the 2029-30 season.

Russell did not play at all after being traded to the Wizards at the February deadline, and he was sent to Memphis as part of a six-team deal in early July. Even with the Grizzlies trading Ja Morant to Portland, D’Lo is not in the team’s plans moving forward. As a result, the two sides are reportedly working together to find Russell a new home, either through a trade or a contract buyout. Russell is entering the final year of a contract that will pay him slightly less than $6 million. While a capable player, D’Lo is unlikely to land in a situation where he can be fantasy-relevant next season.

Selected by the Pelicans with the 58th overall pick in last month’s draft, Pierre averaged 10.0 points per game in three appearances in Las Vegas. While he didn’t shoot the ball well, making just 27 percent from the field, the rookie wing is coming off a senior season at SMU in which he averaged 17.6 points per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the field. New Orleans now has one available two-way slot, with Hunter Dickinson already under contract.

Not selected in the 2024 draft, Miller appeared in 11 NBA games over two seasons with the Bulls before being traded to the Cavaliers as part of a three-team deal in February. Cleveland would waive him on February 20, with the Spurs signing him to a two-way contract three days later. Miller’s departure from San Antonio was matched by the team signing David Jones Garcia to another two-way deal. Rookies Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Maliq Brown occupy the other two-way contract slots.

Jones Garcia will be on a two-way contract for the third consecutive season, spending his rookie campaign with the Jazz before moving to San Antonio ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. He appeared in 11 NBA games last season, averaging 6.2 minutes per appearance. Given the Spurs’ perimeter depth, Jones Garcia’s NBA opportunities are likely to be limited when the team is healthy.

Slawson finished last season out with Indiana and was productive for them during summer league this month. That was enough for them to reward the 2023 second-round pick with a two-way deal. However, with Indiana set to return to contention this upcoming season, Slawson won’t match the 23.9 minutes per game that he played during his 13 games in March and April last season.