The dollar amounts are only part of the story. These contracts show how NBA teams are protecting roster flexibility before training camp while giving players different paths to stick.
Contract details for KCP, Tonje, Phillips, Ingram and Bufkin became clearer on July 28: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope gave back $3,876,529 in a Grizzlies buyout and plans to sign a minimum-salary deal with the Sixers after clearing waivers, creating a $2,449,421 Philadelphia cap hit for 2026/27. John Tonje, Julian Phillips, Brandon Ingram and Kobe Bufkin also sit in the fine print around salary and cap-hit details, including $678,882 and $2,537,526.
The confirmed items run through the Trail Blazers, Rockets, Jazz and Pelicans; one clarification matters: Hoops Rumors identified Harrison Ingram with the Jazz, not Brandon Ingram. That distinction is important because this is not a star-contract update. It is a roster-mechanics story about buyouts, minimum deals, two-way eligibility and training-camp language.
KCP gives Memphis real relief
Caldwell-Pope’s buyout with Memphis is the cleanest number in the batch. According to Hoops Rumors, with a hat tip to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the veteran wing gave up $3,876,529 in the agreement with the Grizzlies.
That is not a random discount. It matches the amount Caldwell-Pope is expected to earn on the minimum-salary contract he intends to sign with Philadelphia once he clears waivers. The Sixers’ cap hit on that one-year deal is reported at $2,449,421, lower than the cash he is set to receive because of veteran-minimum accounting.
For Philadelphia, the attraction is obvious: a proven 3-and-D wing at a manageable cap number. Caldwell-Pope has built a career on playoff-friendly skills — spacing, defensive assignments, low-maintenance usage — which is exactly the profile teams chase when the front of the roster is already expensive.
For Memphis, the buyout reduces Caldwell-Pope’s cap charge from $21,621,500 to $17,744,971. That is meaningful savings, even if it does not suddenly turn the Grizzlies into a cap-room team.
Why Memphis stays over the cap
The Grizzlies are projected to carry just under $160 million in salary for 2026/27 even after signing first-round pick Karim Lopez, per Hoops Rumors. That puts them below the reported $165 million cap line.
Yet Memphis is expected to operate as an over-the-cap team anyway. That sounds counterintuitive, but it is often the smarter roster-building posture for a club that values exceptions more than a small amount of raw cap space.
The key piece is a $28.9 million trade exception tied to Jaren Jackson Jr. Keeping that exception, along with other cap tools, gives the Grizzlies more practical flexibility than renouncing everything just to open a few million dollars in cap room.
That is the larger lesson inside Caldwell-Pope’s buyout. The public sees a player changing teams; front offices see a chain reaction across cap sheets, exceptions, trade math and future roster slots.
Tonje gets a two-year path
John Tonje’s deal with the Trail Blazers is a different kind of bet. Keith Smith of Spotrac reported that Tonje’s new two-way contract covers two seasons.
A two-year two-way deal gives Portland time without forcing an immediate standard-roster commitment. It also gives Tonje a route into the organization beyond a short camp audition, though two-way status is not the same as a guaranteed long-term NBA foothold.
If Tonje plays out the full agreement without being promoted or waived, he would be eligible for restricted free agency in the 2028 offseason, according to the reported terms. That matters because restricted free agency lets the incumbent team keep some control if the player develops into a keeper.
The salary figures attached to two-way contracts can be easy to misread when they circulate alongside cap numbers such as $678,882 or $2,537,526. The important confirmed detail here is the structure: two seasons, two-way status and a possible restricted-free-agency endpoint.
Phillips and Ingram get conversion chances
Julian Phillips’ Rockets agreement and Harrison Ingram’s Jazz agreement are both non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts, Hoops Rumors reported. That is the sort of contract that rarely makes a splash but often shapes the back end of NBA rosters.
An Exhibit 10 deal is essentially a camp-and-development tool. It can be converted into a two-way contract if the player is eligible, and it can also include a bonus path for players who are waived and then spend time with the team’s G League affiliate.
Phillips and Harrison Ingram are both eligible to have their deals converted to two-way contracts before the regular season because neither has more than three years of NBA service, according to the report. That gives Houston and Utah optionality: evaluate the player in camp, keep the two-way door open and avoid guaranteeing a standard roster spot too soon.
The Brandon Ingram/Harrison Ingram distinction is worth repeating because the NBA has very different contract tiers living under similar names. This reported item concerns Harrison Ingram’s non-guaranteed Jazz deal, not a major Brandon Ingram transaction.
Bufkin has a narrower deal
Kobe Bufkin’s Pelicans contract has a more restrictive setup. Hoops Rumors reported that his deal is a non-guaranteed training-camp contract with Exhibit 9 language, but not an Exhibit 10 clause.
That difference matters. Exhibit 9 language is mainly about injury protection for the team during camp. Without Exhibit 10 language, Bufkin’s contract cannot be converted into a two-way deal.
It also makes a G League follow-up less likely if he is waived, because he would not be in line for an Exhibit 10 bonus. That does not eliminate a path to New Orleans, but it changes the incentives and lowers the developmental attachment compared with players on Exhibit 10 contracts.
For Bufkin, the task is simpler and harsher: win a roster spot or make a strong enough impression that the Pelicans, or another team, find a different mechanism to keep him around.
The takeaway before camp
These deals sit in the NBA’s transaction margins, but they reveal how teams are thinking. Philadelphia is positioned to add Caldwell-Pope at a team-friendly cap charge. Memphis saved money without sacrificing useful exceptions. Portland bought development time with Tonje. Houston and Utah preserved two-way conversion paths for Phillips and Harrison Ingram. New Orleans gave Bufkin a camp look with fewer built-in follow-up options.
Not all of the outcomes are settled. Caldwell-Pope still must clear waivers before his planned Sixers deal becomes official. Tonje’s two-way status could change if Portland promotes or waives him. Phillips and Harrison Ingram need to turn Exhibit 10 opportunities into something sturdier. Bufkin’s Exhibit 9 setup leaves less room for procedural safety nets.
The biggest contracts define a team’s ceiling. These smaller ones often decide how much maneuverability a front office has once injuries, trades and camp surprises start piling up.
Sources: Hoops Rumors reporting on July 28; Michael Scotto of HoopsHype on Caldwell-Pope’s buyout figure; Keith Smith of Spotrac on Tonje’s two-way contract length.
Leave a Reply