Fantasy Basketball Fallout From the Latest NBA Free Agent Moves

As expected, there was a little NBA player movement in the days after LeBron James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. Let's discuss a few of those moves here.

These might not look like major moves on paper, but they are big enough deals to at least mention.

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KCP Joins 76ers

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was waived by the Memphis Grizzlies, and KCP is expected to join the 76ers on a one-year deal worth 3.9 million.

The 33-year-old Caldwell-Pope has been in the NBA for 13 years now. He got in 51 games (14 starts) with Memphis last year, averaging 8.4 points, 2.7 assists, 2.5 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 0.2 blocks over 21.3 minutes a night.

He will come off the bench for the 76ers when they are fully healthy. KCP will be guard depth behind VJ Edgecombe and Jaylen Brown. Anfernee Simons and rookie Labaron Philon Jr. are the other notable reserve guards, so Philly needed a bit more depth there, and got it with Caldwell-Pope.

KCP is likely only to be a deep-league fantasy asset for the coming season. He could be a standard league streamer at times, especially if Philly is dealing with injuries.

Otherwise, expect Tyrese Maxey, Brown, James and Joel Embiid to do most of the heavy lifting. Edgecombe is the other projected starter, with Philon, Simons, Caldwell-Pope, Dean Wade, Adem Bona and others among the bench options for now. 

We'll see if Philly does anything else yet this offseason. Right now, I think KCP could be a deep-league fantasy asset.

Jones Staying with Nuggets

Spencer Jones signed a two-year deal worth $12 million with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was a restricted free agent though, and the Denver Nuggets decided to match the offer to bring Jones back.

The 25-year-old Jones has played 84 games (37 starts) across two NBA seasons so far. He averaged 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists and steals and 0.5 blocks over 22.1 minutes per game last season.

He will be a reserve forward option again for the coming season. Aaron Gordon and Cameron Johnson are the projected forward starters. Jones gives the Nuggets a forward option, especially if Peyton Watson isn't retained (Watson has been in trade talks).

Nikola Jokic will continue to power Denver, with Jamal Murray and Christian Braun as the other projected two starters. Throw in Tyus Jones, Julian Strawther, Spencer Jones and Marvin Bagley III, and that should make up most of the rotation. The future of Watson is looming large.

Keeping Watson would be ideal, but if he's traded elsewhere, Denver could get some much-needed depth, and be a better contender in the Western Conference as a result.

Right now, Spencer Jones looks like a pretty solid fantasy asset, but we won't know his exact outlook until Watson's future is decided. We'll cover that when it happens, so check back for that!

Hezonja Signs with Cavs

After missing out on LeBron, Cleveland signed Mario Hezonja to a one-year deal worth $2.8 million.

The 31-year-old was the fifth overall pick back in 2015 by Orlando, but last played in the NBA in 2019-20. He never had a ton of success in the league, but after performing well overseas, he's getting another crack at things.

Hezonja will be forward depth for Cleveland, which was definitely needed after LeBron signed with Philly. Evan Mobley and Max Strus are the projected forward starters for now, and Jaylon Tyson and Nae'Qwan Tomlin are the top backups. Hezonja could be a big-time option off the bench for Cleveland, making him a good deep-league fantasy asset to start the year, and maybe someone who works into standard leagues eventually.

The other projected starters for Cleveland are Jarrett Allen, Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, although Harden still has to re-sign. Thomas Bryant, Sam Merrill and Dennis Schroder are among the reserve options.

The starting five is pretty good, but the depth in Cleveland is lacking big time. They are now definitely behind at least the Knicks and 76ers in the Eastern Conference, and things aren't looking super great for the Cavs going forward.

Maybe the team could swing a trade or acquire some more free agents to round out the roster. Right now though, they are just a playoff team, and would need some luck to go their way to emerge out of the East.

That's why I like Hezonja's fantasy outlook, but things could change if more moves are made, so it's a wait-and-see thing with Hezonja and his fantasy outlook.