The Lakers have added shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on a one-year deal.
In a bit of a surprising move, the Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to terms with free agent shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
The one-year pact is reportedly worth $18 million.
Caldwell-Pope entered the off-season as a restricted free agent with the Pistons after he declined a five-year, $80 million extension from the team.
Once Detroit made the move to trade for Avery Bradley, Caldwell-Pope became expendable and was subsequently renounced.
While this move doesn’t provide the young shooting guard with the same degree of long-term financial security, it does give him the opportunity to re-enter the free agent market next summer after playing in what’s expected to be a fast-paced Lakers offense.
The Lakers could view Caldwell-Pope as a fallback option next summer should they fail to land one of the bigger free agents that they’ve been linked to (Paul George, LeBron James).
The 24-year-old should start at shooting guard at what is now a fairly interesting starting lineup, along with Lonzo Ball at point guard, Brandon Ingram at small forward, Julius Randle at power forward and Brook Lopez at the center spot.
The 8th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, KCP played in 76 games for Detroit last season, averaging 13.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.2 steals in 33.3 minutes a night. He also shot 83% from the foul-line and 35% from 3-point range on 5.8 attempts a game.
The Lakers will be without Caldwell-Pope for their first two games next season. The league suspended him after and arrest in March in which Caldwell-Pope was pulled over for driving 45 mph in a 25 mph zone in Auburn Hills, Michigan. He was ultimately cited for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
The Lakers now have only $4.3 million remaining under the cap and they’ve been linked to point guard Rajon Rondo.
