The signing of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
The Lakers signed veteran guard Kentavious Caldwell-pope to a one-year, $18 million dollar deal, which was mutually beneficial. Los Angeles added a quality veteran guard without overspending and Caldwell-Pope got a mid-level max deal worth $2 million more than he would have made with the Detroit Pistons. Now Caldwell-pope can showcase his skills then rejoin the market next year for a long-term max deal he’s searching for.
But other than the numbers, Caldwell-Pope is a strong defender and an impressive three-point shooter. Those are both areas the Lakers struggled in last season. His ability to guard perimeter players and score the basketball make him just the two-way player Los Angeles needs. Caldwell-Pope also has a knack for slamming the ball home off of lobs, and with Lonzo Ball, at point guard, he’ll have plenty of opportunities to score at the rim.
Being able to play alongside Ball, mentor him and take some pressure off of him is maybe the best upside to his signing. Caldwell-Pope is certainly a better pick up than Rajon Rondo would have been; he was connected to the Lakers in free agent talks for quite some time. Caldwell-Pope can be a leader for Lonzo without the potential attitude issues.