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Summary

Caldwell-Pope gets some grief online for seemingly getting overpaid by the Lakers due to him sharing the same agent as Lebron James. However, KCP has proven himself to be a solid three-and-D option. He shot 39% from three this season and is a serviceable defender, which is certainly valuable in today's NBA. The former Georgia Bulldog may be little too small to defend some of the elite wings such as Kawhi Leonard, but he can hold his own against most starting level wings, and has also shown that he can defend the opposing team's point guard, which he often had to do for the Lakers in the postseason.

Cap Considerations

Caldwell-Pope has a $8.5 million player option for next season, and if he declines that option he will be an unrestricted free agent with a $15.4 million cap hold and full Bird Rights. The Lakers will not have cap space unless Anthony Davis opts out and leaves in free agency, so KCP's cap hold will most likely not be relevant.

 

As the Lakers will have full Bird rights, they can offer him up to his maximum salary. However, the Lakers could be pushed up against the luxury tax if they bring back KCP, depending on what happens with their other free agents and if they use their Mid-Level Exception to add talent.

 

The question for other teams will be if KCP is available to demand a higher starting salary than the full MLE of $9.3 million. If so, only teams with cap space will be available to sign Caldwell-Pope. If a team over the cap and KCP have interest, the Lakers could also explore sign-and-trade options.

Potential Teams: Lakers, Hawks, Hornets, Knicks, Wizards

Predicted Contract: 2-year, $24 million with the Lakers

Actual Contract: 3-year, $39.1 million ($5 million guaranteed 3rd year) with the Lakers

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Caldwell-Pope got better than I expected, but it did come at the cost of a partially-guaranteed final year. I still think this is good value for the Lakers, and don't think this contract will come back to bite them at all.

Last updated: 12/31/2020

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