Getty
DeMar DeRozan #11 of the Chicago Bulls.
The Philadelphia 76ers will likely be among the most active teams in free agency, and Paul George isn’t the only big-name player the franchise will be pursuing.
Two other players on Philadelphia’s radar are former Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan and former Denver Nuggets forward Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Fox Sports’ Yaron Weitzman predicted on June 25 that DeRozan would eventually land in Philadelphia on a lucrative short-term deal.
“The acquisition of Josh Giddey is a game-changer for the Bulls,” Weitzman wrote. “If they do plan on putting the ball in Giddey’s hands, then it makes no sense to bring back DeRozan. My guess is he ends up joining the Sixers on a two-year, $90 million deal.”
DeRozan averaged 24 points per game in Chicago last season, according to Basketball Reference, along with 5.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 79 games played. He led the league in minutes played per game with 37.8, giving the Sixers a durability the franchise has struggled to find with its star players in recent years.
Entering his 2024-25 season at age 35, DeRozan returns from a three-year, $82 million contract in Chicago.
An NBA insider claims the 76ers are looking to sign Caldwell-Pope alongside George
GettyKentavious Caldwell-Pope, former Denver Nuggets player.
DeRozan’s offensive prowess, particularly from mid-range, would complement Philadelphia’s lead duo of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
However, NBA insider Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported Sunday, just hours before free agency officially opened, that the Sixers are looking for ways to add Caldwell-Pope and George to their starting lineup in 2024-25.
“League sources tell The Stein Line that the ever-ambitious 76ers have explored the feasibility/salary cap maneuvers necessary to bring in Paul George and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency,” Stein wrote on X Sunday.
Caldwell-Pope is a two-time champion, first with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 and again with the Nuggets in 2023. He has been a durable starter over his 11-year career, playing fewer than 70 games only twice and never appearing in fewer than 67 regular-season games.
Caldwell Pope, who turns 32 next season, is averaging 11.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals. He’s also making nearly 37 percent of his career three-point attempts (over 40 percent in three of the last four years) while averaging 4.6 attempts per game. He made $30.1 million in his last contract in Denver, which spanned the previous two years.
76ers optimistic about free agent Paul George
Getty Paul George, former Los Angeles Clippers player.
While DeRozan and Caldwell-Pope are viable targets, their futures in Philadelphia remain relatively uncertain until the Sixers resolve the situation with George — by far the team’s top target.
Philly could resolve this situation much sooner than expected, according to reporting from Bleacher Report on Sunday’s Chris Haynes.
“B/R Sources: There is growing optimism that the Philadelphia 76ers will land Paul George as a free agent,” Haynes posted on X.
George decided to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers over the weekend, after a months-long dispute over the fourth year of a four-year max deal. The Sixers are willing to pay George for four seasons, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, and can offer him up to $212 million over that period.
Max Dible Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, focusing on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He has covered local and national news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s Big Island family of radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
