LA Lakers rumors have the team pulling off a huge NBA free agent signing. The Lakers had been trying to nab a “big-name” player for several months now and may have succeeded with the signing of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. This is huge news for Lakers fans, as it gives the team another young star to cheer for during the 2017-18 NBA season.
According to ESPN, The Detroit Pistons had decided to renounce his rights, meaning Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could then sign with any team in the NBA. Prior LA Lakers rumors suggested that the team was showing immediate interest in signing him to a hefty one-year contract and on Tuesday night (July 11) that is exactly what the front office in Los Angeles was able to accomplish.
How much will the Lakers pay Caldwell-Pope for the upcoming NBA season?
This is a one-year deal worth $18 million for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, which may seem like a bargain if he can live up to his potential. It makes him a free agent who could re-sign with the Lakers during the next NBA offseason as well, but it gives both sides a lot of flexibility to work with. For the LA Lakers, this allows the team to explore other free agents next season as well.
Not only does this land the Lakers with a significant playmaker, the team still has the ability to sign another player. The Lakers can sign a free agent to the mid-level exception at $4.3 million for the 2017-18 NBA season. There had been some additional NBA rumors about who the team could target, as Rajon Rondo had shown interest in signing with the Lakers, even though he is also getting pursued by several other teams.
That includes the New York Knicks.
Are the LA Lakers now good enough to make the 2018 NBA Playoffs?
In addition to having Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the LA Lakers will also have rookie Lonzo Ball ready to make a splash in the starting rotation. That’s in addition to Jordan Clarkson, Brandon Ingram, and Julius Randle already on the roster.
The Lakers already traded for starting center Brook Lopez, who helps round out a lineup that looks really good on paper. If the Lakers and Magic Johnson can succeed at luring Rajon Rondo as well, then this team could be going straight to the 2018 NBA Playoffs.
For Lakers fans that are unfamiliar with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, during the 2016-17 NBA season played 76 games for the Detroit Pistons.
He averaged 13.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. His shooting percentages were way down, though, as he hit on just 39.9 percent from the field. Caldwell-Pope could be the difference-maker that the team was working hard to acquire and these LA Lakers rumors are going to quite pleasing to fans reading the news on Wednesday morning (July 12).
