Los Angeles Lakers: Complete grades for the 2019 NBA offseason
Re-signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
The Los Angeles Lakers swung for the fences in free agency this year, making a strong pitch to Kawhi Leonard and reportedly reaching out to the camps of D’Angelo Russell and Jimmy Butler.
By the time they knew for certain they had missed out on max-level free agents, most of the starting-level players had already come to terms with other teams.
Thus the Lakers pivoted to adding role players and bringing back members of the supporting cast from last season. That included Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, one of the players to have survived to his third season with the team.
The swingman out of Georgia was signed to a two-year, $16.58 million contract with a player option on the second year.
Caldwell-Pope will seem to many Lakers fans as settling, just taking the remaining free-agent scraps after whiffing on the headline dishes. To an extent that is fair; teams were not lining up to sign KCP as they were for other players.
That being said, it also undersells his impact at an important position.
While he shot just 34.5 percent from distance last year his 86.7 percent free throw percentage and 38.3 mark from 3-point range in 2017-18 suggest he is a better shooter who was in a bad situation. He is a great fit alongside LeBron James, able to spot-up and attack closeouts.
His efficiency needs to improve, but he has the versatility to shoot from anywhere on the court.
The money they committed to him is not punitive, and he may free them of any obligations next season by exercising his player option and hitting the market. It is possible the Lakers may close games with Caldwell-Pope at the 2 alongside Danny Green, at least to start the season.
The Lakers may wish they had used the cap space on a star, but they had no stars left to chase. Signing KCP is a solid move that will give them a player they can rely on next season.