Lakers Missed on Ex-Champ, Land ‘Sleek’ Defender Instead

Before the NBA Free Agency opened, the Los Angeles Lakers explored reuniting with 3-and-D wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, ClutchPoint’s Brett Siegel reports.

“The Lakers were a team that spoke with Memphis about KCP after their Desmond Bane trade, sources said,” Siegel wrote on July 21.

Caldwell-Pope was the Lakers’ starting shooting guard during their 2020 championship run in Orlando bubble, averaging 10.7 points on 37.8% 3-point shooting, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals during the playoffs.

In 2021, the Lakers traded Caldwell-Pope, along with Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell, to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Russell Westbrook. The Westbrook trade did not work out for the Lakers.

Caldwell-Pope went on to win another championship with the Denver Nuggets in 2023, averaging 10.6 points on 38% 3-point shooting, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals as the starting shooting guard.

The Nuggets scrimped on the budget and did not bring Caldwell-Pope back following the 2023-24 season. The veteran guard signed with the Orlando Magic on a three-year, $66 million contract, with a player option on the final year.

But Caldwell-Pope’s game regressed with the Magic, who played most of last season without their starting point guard Jalen Suggs and spacing. The 31-year-old wing averaged a career-low 5.0 points on 26.1% 3-point shooting in the last playoffs.

The Magic quickly cut bait, sending Caldwell-Pope to Memphis, along with Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks and a pick swap for Desmond Bane.

Marcus Smart Motivated to Play for Contender

Getty Marcus Smart, formerly of the Boston Celtics, watches his last shot of the game miss in front of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, formerly of the Los Angeles Lakers.

After nothing materialized on the Caldwell-Pope trade front, the Lakers went on to add 23-year-old wing Jake LaRavia via free agency and former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart from the buyout market.

The Lakers have one roster spot left open after waiving Shake Milton and Jordan Goodwin to create the roster space and access their $5.1 million bi-annual exception to sign Smart to a two-year, $11 million deal.

The Lakers kept their draft capital intact by not pushing hard on Caldwell-Pope and still improved their perimeter defense with the additions of Smart and LaRavia.

Smart represents a high-risk, high-reward signing for the Lakers after the three-time All-Defensive wing struggled to stay on the court over the last two seasons.

His injury history that only limited him to 54 games since his departure from the Boston Celtics is a real concern.

However, the Lakers get some good news on that front as NBA insider Marc Stein reported that a “sleeker” Smart is reporting to the training camp in the fall.

“I’m likewise told that Smart (like Luka Doncic) has been working hard on his body this summer. Conditioning was an undeniable issue for Smart last season, but the Lakers were convinced during their pursuit that they will see a sleeker version of the 2021-22 DPOY,” Stein wrote on his Substack newsletter “The Stein Line” on July 20.

If healthy, Smart has a great chance to land on the Lakers’ starting unit to provide point-of-attack defense after they lost Dorian Finney-Smith in free agency. He could also be their Sixth Man.

Luka’s Recruiting Role Bodes Well for Lakers

Doncic’s role in recruiting Smart and also center Deandre Ayton, whom he shares the same agent — WME Sports basketball head Bill Duffy — signals that he’s all-in with the Lakers.

This was a great sign for the Lakers in their bid to lock up Doncic long-term. The Slovenian star is eligible to sign a lucrative extension beginning on Aug. 2.

“External fretting about Doncic committing his long-term future to the Lakers, meanwhile, has dissipated considerably thanks to the contributions made by the 26-year-old throughout free agency in collaboration with vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka,” Stein wrote.