Shortly after signing LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers were able to bring back Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on another one-year deal.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been very busy at the start of free agency. The main goal for the Lakers coming into the offseason was to sign a star. With a solid young core, the Lakers needed to add an All-Star to help push them toward the next level.
As some were expecting for the last few days, LeBron James did indeed sign with the Lakers. Getting James instantly makes the Lakers a playoff team and a contender in the Western Conference, as he is still the best player in the NBA.
While the James news is obviously huge for the Lakers, they also began the process of filling out the roster around him by signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a one-year, $12 million deal.
Sources: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope agreed to a one-year, $12M deal with the Lakers.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2018
The Lakers were able to sign Caldwell-Pope to a big one-year deal last offseason after the Detroit Pistons made him an unrestricted free agent. With the plan in mind to keep cap space for this offseason, the Lakers got creative and gave him a one-year deal.
Overall, Caldwell-Pope played well for the Lakers. He was able to average 13.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. KCP did have to deal with some legal trouble during the season, which might have affected his play a little bit.
After the All-Star break when the legal trouble seemed to be behind him, KCP was able to increase his scoring average, and also his shooting percentage. Bringing KCP back will give James a solid three-and-D player to play alongside.
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Players that can shoot three-pointers generally have a lot of success with James, as he puts a ton of pressure on opposing defenses. With James coming to town, KCP fits alongside him very nicely and getting him on a one-year deal once again is a good deal for the Lakers.