An early look into Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s upcoming free agency
With improved numbers across the board at this juncture in the season, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is an intriguing free agency case this summer.
Toward the end of an extremely hectic 2017 NBA free agency summer, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope signed a one-year, $18 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. KCP waited until the market dried up to sign with the Lakers after the Detroit Pistons renounced their rights to him, making him an unrestricted free agent.
The contract was a perfect match for both parties. The Lakers desperately needed shooting and defense from the guard spot without locking themselves into long-term contracts, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope took advantage of the Lakers’ remaining cap space and trusted himself by signing a single year contract for a solid $18 million.
This was seen as a gamble for KCP given the lack of long-term security that comes with a one-year deal, but he’s been a consistent, durable performer for the Lakers, and has maintained his level of production while improving his efficiency.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is averaging 13.4 points, 2.2 assists and career-highs in rebounds (5.2) and steals (1.6) per game. Outside of the rebounding numbers, these statistics are around his career averages, but he’s shooting career-high percentages from the field (42.6 percent) and 3-point range (37.5 percent).
With no significant drop-off in his defensive abilities, KCP is an interesting player to monitor during the upcoming free agency period. The NBA has never had a larger need for 3-and-D players, and KCP fits that mold, especially with his 3-point percentage increasing in consecutive seasons.
He recently turned 25 years old in February, so there’s optimism that his shooting numbers and overall feel for the game will mature with his age. KCP’s bet on himself is paying off, but he may be disappointed with the market for his services.
NBA teams have learned from their mistakes of the 2016 free agency frenzy that saw front offices splash out cash well beyond players’ market value. They were under the impression the cap would continue to rise like it did that summer, and are now being forced to attach draft picks and young players to offload those contracts signed in 2016, like the Lakers did with D’Angelo Russell to unload Timofey Mozgov’s contract.
Because of this, teams are smarter and more reluctant to offer high salary, long-term contracts to non-stars. KCP is a good player, but I don’t see him finding $18 million — or even $15 million — offers that exceed two seasons in length, and that’s including an option on the second year.
The best scenario for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could be to stay patient and see which teams, maybe the Lakers, strike out on their top free agency targets and have the cap space to offer him nice deals. The Lakers remain a strong fit as a leader, given he’s the eldest player on the team this season that plays consistently and in the clutch (outside of Brook Lopez’s 21.4 minutes per game, but he rarely plays late in games).
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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope shown the willingness to gamble on himself and take a short deal, so having that confidence to maintain his health and production for one more season makes sense. If not, some team could desperate and throw a bunch of money at him. Either way, KCP has been a pleasant surprise for the Lakers, and presents an intriguing case study on the state of NBA free agency.