Welcome to the NBA, kid. One day you’re a promising draft pick, and the next, you’re cap-space ballast. Johni Broome is learning this the hard way as the Philadelphia 76ers clear the decks for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. KCP is hitting the market after a buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies, and Philly wants him bad. But to get him, someone has to go. Broome is the designated sacrifice.
The clock is ticking. Monday is the deadline when waivers clear, giving Daryl Morey a tight window to orchestrate a trade. According to cap guru Keith Smith, the front office is hunting for a taker. If they strike out? They’ll waive Broome and stretch his remaining cash. It’s cold. It’s business.
Broome’s deal isn’t pocket change, but it’s cheap enough to manipulate. He signed a four-year, $8.6 million contract, with about $3.4 million of that guaranteed. For a team bumping up against the league’s hard-nosed first apron, every dollar is a battleground. They already dumped Dalen Terry. They still need more breathing room before they can officially put KCP in a Sixers jersey.
It’s a tough break for the former Auburn standout. Drafted 35th overall in 2025, Broome flashed real potential in the G-League before a knee injury wrecked his rookie year. He thought he was building a future. Instead, he’s a casualty of Morey’s star-chasing fever dream. With LeBron James and Jaylen Brown already in town to flank Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, Philly isn’t in the player-development business anymore. They want rings. Now. If that means throwing a promising sophomore into the waiver wire, so be it.
