Lakers: Best fits for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope this offseason
By Jason Reed
2. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope potential fit: Los Angeles Lakers
The only team that looks like a better fit for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope than the Los Angeles Lakers is the 76ers. Aside from the process, the Lakers may be the best fit for Caldwell-Pope to sign another one-year deal.
This all depends on what the Lakers do this offseason. Re-signing Julius Randle has become the only surefire move for the Lakers to make. Obviously, if the Lakers bring in Paul George they would need to pay Caldwell-Pope significantly less to take a bench-defender role.
If not, though, the Lakers would have $61 million in practical cap space to play with and a thin secondary. Assuming Isaiah Thomas is not brought back, the Lakers would have a backcourt consisting of Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and Tyler Ennis. While Ball and Hart are solid, that is an extremely thin backcourt.
Bringing in Paul George, likely to play shooting guard, would help that situation and likely lead to the Lakers drafting a big man in the 2018 NBA Draft. If not, the Lakers have free agency and the draft to turn to in order to bring in a shooting guard.
Instead of trying to force a new fit, the Lakers can simply re-sign a guy that is already familiar with the system that Ball is already comfortable playing alongside. With the summer of 2019 then being the focus, the Lakers could ink Caldwell-Pope to another overpaid one-year deal.