Los Angeles Lakers: Grading the Kentavious Caldwell-Pope signing

The Los Angeles Lakers made a ton of changes to the roster in free agency by signing multiple players and letting go of a few of their own. The only free agent they decided to re-sign from last year’s squad ended up being Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and for good reason.

When the Los Angeles Lakers signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a similar one-year deal last season, Rob Pelinka showed his admiration for him by comparing him to Manna from Heaven in his opening press conference. He said signing KCP,

"“was like a time when the Israelites were walking in the desert and all of the sudden bread came down from heaven.”"

It should have been easy to tell then, that the Lakers‘ front office, especially Pelinka, saw promise in Pope.

However, at the time, there was speculation that signing Caldwell-Pope was a creative way for the Lakers to be in constant contact to LeBron James’ agent, Rich Paul and the Klutch Sports Group.

Now that James ended up in Los Angeles, maybe resigning Pope to a one-year, $12 million deal is a form of repayment for him making it somewhat easier to recruit James. But KCP showed he was a solid player on the court last season, and by re-signing him he can be a big asset for them moving forward as well.

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One of the big knocks on the newly transformed Laker roster is that they lack anyone with outside shooting ability. KCP shot the ball surprisingly well for the Lakers last season from three. He is probably the best shooter out of their free agent contracts, so he should be relied on heavily in that category next season.

Last season KCP was statistically one of the best Laker starters from 3-point range, he shot a career-best 38.3 from that distance last season. At the end of the season, he really shot the ball well, his 42.3 percent from three after the All-Star break ranked top five in the entire league. He also had one of the best free throw shooting percentages out of anyone that is still left on the roster as well.

But perhaps the biggest reason why it was smart to bring back KCP is that he is great on defense. Caldwell-Pope was arguably the Lakers’ best wing defender last season and that is what he is most known for in the league throughout his career. He was second on the team with 1.4 steals per game only ranked behind Lonzo Ball who had 1.7.

Pope is never mentioned as a part of the Lakers young core, but he is still only 25 years of age and has plenty of room to improve his game. He had a successful season last year despite going through major distractions and legal troubles off the court that would have overwhelmed some players mentally. That type of mental toughness could come in handy in crucial playoff moments that the Lakers hope to be in next season.

He is the perfect player to play alongside LeBron James because he can play off the ball, as a shooter coming off screens, and can defend multiple wing positions. The addition of James will also help him further develop those skills and become better as a player.

He should open the season as the starter at the two guard position, despite Josh Hart’s impressive end of the season and Summer League. By bringing KCP back they have a solid pair of interchangeable shooting guards that both defend and are capable of scoring 20 points on a given night.

Signing KCP is not something for Laker fans to get too excited about, but getting him on a one year deal for less money than last year should be looked at as a win. He gives the Lakers a great rotational player and also gives them the financial flexibility to have space to go after a star player next summer.

Grade: B