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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has turned into an important piece of the Los Angeles Lakers’ rotation due to his defense and ability to stretch the floor. With Caldwell-Pope expected to be in high demand among unrestricted free agents this offseason, it was worth keeping an eye on whether he’d stay in L.A. or if someone else would be able to convince him to seek greener pastures.
Ultimately, the Lakers were able to get the job done. That’s according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who was able to confirm with Caldwell-Pope’s agent Rich Paul that he’s not going anywhere. He’ll get a nice payday for it, too, earning a three-year, $40 million deal.
Free agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has agreed to a three-year, $40M deal with the Lakers, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 22, 2020
Charania confirmed that a number of teams were interested in acquiring Caldwell-Pope, but the Lakers convinced him to stick around. He also added some particulars of the deal, which features a partial guarantee in the third year.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had several interested teams after playing a vital role in the Lakers‘ title run, but sides reached an agreement tonight to keep him in Los Angeles. https://t.co/LssARAoEpV
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 22, 2020
Third year for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the Lakers contains a partial guarantee, sources say. The deal gives him a $15M average salary over next two seasons and $68M guaranteed over five years — and last year’s championship ring soon. https://t.co/LssARAoEpV
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 22, 2020
The deal has an especially big fan in Caldwell-Pope’s most high-profile teammate and fellow Klutch client LeBron James.
YESSIR @CaldwellPope!!!! Congrats my brother
— LeBron James (@KingJames) November 22, 2020
Caldwell-Pope saw his scoring mark drop in 2020 to the lowest point of his career outside of his rookie campaign, but he made up for that by connecting on shots from deep at the best clip of his career. The 27-year-old wing averaged 9.3 points per game and hit 38.5 percent of his triples last season.
