With free agency right around the corner, Bleacher Report recently named Kentavious Caldwell-Pope of the Los Angeles Lakers as the best player for the Indiana Pacers to sign.
As the NBA Finals comes to a close shortly, the NBA offseason will begin soon for the Los Angeles Lakers. For many, this is the most exciting time of the year, and this offseason is shaping up to be a wild one. With some big names like LeBron James, Paul George, and DeMarcus Cousins expected to be free agents, there could be some big shifts in power this offseason.
For the Lakers, they will be one of the teams pursuing the elite free agents like LeBron and George. However, they have a few free agents of their own. One of their free agents is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The Lakers were able to sign KCP to a one-year deal last offseason after he surprisingly became a free agent.
KCP had a decent season with the Lakers, as he brought some scoring and his expected prowess on the defensive end. While the Lakers pursue stars, it will likely come at the cost of bringing KCP back. Recently, Bleacher Report named the best player for every team to sign. They had KCP going to the Indiana Pacers. Here’s what they had to say.
"Caldwell-Pope presents a nice, if slightly experimental, fit. Look past the junky pull-up twos, and he’ll complement Darren Collison and Victor Oladipo. He pushes the ball after defensive rebounds, can initiate pick-and-pops and is familiar with working off the ball. He hit more than 40 percent of his spot-up threes with the Lakers."
With the Lakers, KCP did have to play at the three in their smaller lineups, and going to Indiana would result in him playing there mostly with Victor Oladipo at shooting guard. After a great season last year, the Pacers are hoping to take the next step forward this offseason, and they will likely have a decent amount of cap space.
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A trio of Darren Collison, Oladipo, and KCP would be a very athletic trio for the Pacers, and a very solid one defensively. After getting a one-year deal with the Lakers, KCP will surely be looking to get the long-term contract that he desired last offseason. As the Pacers look to build upon their strong season, KCP could be a player that helps them take that next step forward.