Lakers insiders wonder about re-trading Kentavious Caldwell and Pope
The The Los Angeles Lakers hit it off a bit of a bad situation lately, as they lost their last two games against the San Antonio Spurs and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Lakers are currently 23-13 on the season, but their net rating suggests a team that will likely begin to decline significantly over the course of the season unless some changes are made.
Recently Dan Voike of the Athletic floated potential business idea it would see the Lakers reunited with a familiar face.
“I’ve talked to people around the league about a deal similar to this, with the Lakers sending expiring money for (Kentavious) Caldwell-Pope, who has a proven track record as a difference maker in the postseason. At this stage, he’s more solid than anything else, and because of the $21 million player option he has for next season, a team or two could grab one of them if one of them gets me.
Caldwell-Pope was a member of the Lakers’ last championship team in the 2020 season, and has since won a championship with the Denver Nuggets.
While not quite the same player he was back then, Caldwell-Pope is still a decent defender and perimeter shooter who would give the Lakers some much-needed versatility on both sides of the ball.
However, Voike wasn’t entirely convinced that this trade would work.
“Unless a deal like this brings in a player the Lakers feel is a multi-season fit, I don’t think they’ll be taking any money beyond this year. And that attitude makes their expiring contracts virtually worthless as trade chips this season,” he reported.
Overall, it remains to be seen how committed Rob Pelinka will be to competing for a championship this year versus prioritizing future flexibility around Luka Doncic.
The Lakers will next take the floor on Monday night against the Sacramento Kings.
2026-01-12 16:27:00
