Account
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Lakers Agree to 1-Year Contract
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is on the move for the first time in his career after signing with the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, the team announced.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN first reported the deal on Tuesday and noted the one-year contract is for $18 million.
The guard was a restricted free agent heading into the offseason, but the Detroit Pistons renounced their rights to him after acquiring Avery Bradley from the Boston Celtics.
Caldwell-Pope spent the first four years of his career with the Pistons. He was the eighth overall pick in 2013 and was a key starter for the past three seasons, averaging 13.7 points and 3.4 rebounds during that stretch.
Efficiency is not Caldwell-Pope's strength, as he connected on less than 40 percent of his field-goal attempts last season. He did hit a career-high 35 percent from three-point range to boost his free-agent profile, however.
Looking at his free agency in February, Caldwell-Pope didn't offer any expectations for what he was looking for from a team this summer, per Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press:
"I see myself as what I’m worth. If they [Pistons] see me as a max player, then that’s what I’m worth. If not, then I guess I’m not worth a max player.
I gotta just go out and prove myself and just show like what I can do on the court, be a great teammate, give great energy each and every night and let them decide if I’m a max player or not."
Caldwell-Pope is a proven scorer who showed better range with his shot last year than at any point in his career. He just turned 24 in February, so the Lakers can only hope his shooting touch will improve with rookie point guard Lonzo Ball feeding him the rock.
In a free-agent class loaded with talent, Caldwell-Pope was one of the under-the-radar names to keep an eye on. He's made his move and will become an impact scorer for Los Angeles in the 2017-18 season.