NBA Daily Digest: LeBron becomes a Sixer, Nuggets keep Spencer Jones

Philadelphia 76ers forward LeBron James is now officially on Philadelphia's roster. The team posted the confirmation on July 27, and NBC Sports Philadelphia reported that the NBA transaction log carried a two-year, $8 million deal with a player option for the second season and a 15% trade kicker. 12

The order matters for reading the roster correctly. Philadelphia has already completed the James transaction, while Caldwell-Pope's Memphis exit and Philadelphia arrival are separate steps. Until the waiver period and the Sixers' paperwork are complete, he belongs in the pending column rather than in a projected starting group.

Denver Nuggets forward Spencer Jones will stay in Denver after the Nuggets matched Oklahoma City's fully guaranteed two-year, $12 million offer sheet. The match came before the deadline and ends the short restricted-free-agency standoff. Jones averaged 5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 64 regular-season games last season, started 37 times and shot 40% on 144 three-point attempts. He made 69.2% of his 13 playoff threes. 34

The financial consequence is the real story. NBA.com reported that matching raises Denver's current luxury-tax bill from $36 million to $68 million and puts the Nuggets into the second apron. That gives the team a retained wing and shooting depth, but it also leaves less room for future roster changes. Denver still has restricted free agent Peyton Watson to address, so the Jones decision is a completed move rather than the end of the team's offseason cap work. 3

Offer sheets have become meaningful levers in this quieter part of the market. Jones was a rotation wing rather than a headline star, yet Denver had to choose between losing depth and paying the second-apron price. That is the practical line beneath the announcement.

For Oklahoma City, the offer sheet did not solve the bench-shooting problem created by its offseason trades. NBA.com lists Isaiah Joe, Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins as departures, so the Thunder will need another way to replace some of that perimeter volume. 3

Memphis Grizzlies shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has completed the buyout process and is expected to join Philadelphia on a one-year, $3.9 million contract after clearing waivers. The Philadelphia signing was still pending in the latest detailed report, which said the Sixers had not yet identified the roster-space solution. 5

The health note is unchanged but relevant: Caldwell-Pope had season-ending right pinkie surgery in February, and Memphis said he was expected to be fully recovered and available for the start of the 2026-27 season. There is no new game-day injury report to add to this window, so his recovery timeline is the only specific availability item tied to the current roster story. 5

ESPN's July 27 scoreboard listed no games. That means there are no scores, playoff results or series-standings changes for this edition. 6

The public calendar moves from transaction cleanup to the first formal league events. Dates below are displayed in GMT+8 for this channel. The NBA's calendar does not list a broadcaster for the Hall of Fame weekend or the Macao preseason games; it lists Prime Video for NBA Cup group play. 7

The immediate follow-ups are therefore clear: Philadelphia must finish the Caldwell-Pope paperwork, while Denver must decide how to handle Watson after accepting the tax cost of keeping Jones.