Lakers Rumors: Three reasons it’s okay to trade KCP
By Keith Rivas
These latest Lakers rumors make the case for an early or mid-season trade involving Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Right now, the Lakers are at a point in their rebuild where they seem to be confident in the direction that they are now headed, with some tweaks still looming. Some of those tweaks may involve Julius Randle or Jordan Clarkson, but what has been surprising is that there’s been a lack of discussion about why it’s okay to start bringing up Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
After four years in Detroit, Caldwell-Pope is in his first year with the Lakers and is only in town on a one-year deal. Outside of this season, it’s unclear just exactly how Caldwell-Pope fits into the future in purple and gold.
In terms of numbers, the fifth year guard out of Georgia has maintained his double-digit points per game average, putting up 11.5 per game for LA.
While that’s great and all, there is more than enough reason to consider putting him on the trade block if the right scenario reveals itself. Los Angeles didn’t hesitate to get rid of D’Angelo Russell when it was time to move on and was in the perceived best interest of the team, so it’s hard to imagine that they’d be so hesitant to do with the same with KCP.
With that being said, let’s examine three reasons in depth that it is okay to start talking about Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the midst of a potential trade by the Los Angeles Lakers.