Latest news with #Caldwell-Pope
USA Today
31-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Lakers jersey history No. 1 — Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Through the 2024-25 season, the Los Angeles Lakers have had a total of 506 players suit up for them, going back to their days in Minneapolis. Some were forgettable, some were serviceable, some were good and a select few were flat-out legendary. As the Lakers approach their 80th season of existence (they were founded back in 1946 as the Detroit Gems in the National Basketball League), LeBron Wire is taking a look at each player who has worn their jersey, whether it has been a purple and gold one or the ones they donned back in the Midwest during their early years. Here's a look at Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a key role player for the Lakers the last time they won the NBA championship. Caldwell-Pope was named the SEC Player of the Year during his sophomore year at the University of Georgia, and shortly afterward, he was the No. 8 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. His first four seasons in the league were a bit shaky, but by 2017, he was starting to emerge as a good 3-point shooter, a reliable fast-break finisher and a pesky team defender. The Lakers signed the 6-foot-5 shooting guard as a free agent in the summer of 2017. He went from shooting 35% from 3-point range in his last season in Detroit to making 38.3% of his 3-point attempts during his first year with the Purple and Gold. By the time both LeBron James and Anthony Davis were in place for the 2019-20 season, Caldwell-Pope was an important piece for the team. He averaged 9.3 points in 25.5 minutes a game that year, and in the playoffs, he started each contest and shot 37.8% from downtown as Los Angeles won the world title. After a strong 2020-21 campaign, Caldwell-Pope was shipped out in the disastrous trade that brought Russell Westbrook to L.A. Following one year with the Washington Wizards, he found his way to the Denver Nuggets, where he got himself another ring in 2023. He spent this past season with the Orlando Magic and was recently traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, a young and immature team he will look to bring some veteran leadership to.
USA Today
22-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Lakers reportedly tried to trade for two 3-and-D guards
Although the Los Angeles Lakers now appear to have a strong roster with improved depth, many agree they still need one or two two-way guards or wings to truly become championship contenders. They're set to add Marcus Smart, who has long been one of the NBA's best defensive guards, but he is a below-average 3-point shooter and thus cannot be considered a true two-way player. According to multiple reports, the Lakers have been working the phones this summer, looking to make a trade in order to land a 3-and-D player. According to ClutchPoints insider Brett Siegel, they talked to the Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves about acquiring Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Donte DiVincenzo, respectively. Caldwell-Pope, of course, was a key role player for Los Angeles not too long ago. He came to the team as a free agent in 2017 and emerged as a 3-point sniper and a solid team defender. He was an important member of the squad when it won the NBA championship in 2020. He was shipped out in the 2021 trade that brought L.A. Russell Westbrook, and he went on to win another ring with the Denver Nuggets in 2023. The Orlando Magic traded him to Memphis last month in order to obtain Desmond Bane, and at age 32, Caldwell-Pope remains a viable complementary piece. DiVincenzo, 28, won a world title with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 and spent this past season with Minnesota after the New York Knicks sent him there in early October. He averaged 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals a game while hitting 39.7% from 3-point range for a Timberwolves team that reached the Western Conference finals for the second year in a row.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
KCP's ‘excited' reaction to being included in Desmond Bane-Magic trade to Grizzlies
The post KCP's 'excited' reaction to being included in Desmond Bane-Magic trade to Grizzlies appeared first on ClutchPoints. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is looking ahead with optimism after being dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies in a blockbuster trade that sent Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic on Father's Day. Advertisement The 32-year-old veteran guard addressed the trade on the latest episode of Dawg Talk with J Mac and Kenny Gaines, revealing that while the news came during a family vacation, his initial surprise eventually gave way to excitement about joining Memphis. 'I knew before everybody, it wasn't really breaking news for me, but it happened Father's Day,' Caldwell-Pope said. 'I'm on vacation with my family… it's literally about 11:30–11:35, almost noon, and I'm going to get something out of my bag, and my phone is vibrating, but I don't get to it in time.' 'So I'm checking, and it's my agent – he never calls me multiple times, so it's literally like three to four times, like damn, let me get to my phone and call him back. As soon as I call, you just got traded to the Grizzlies… quick shock because it kinda hit me right there like, damn, it's Father's Day. I didn't want to get this type of news; we could've at least waited until Monday.' Kentavious Caldwell-Pope says trade from Magic to Grizzlies was emotional but exciting John Jones-USA TODAY Sports Caldwell-Pope admitted the timing made it difficult to process at first, especially when it came to informing his family. But as he reflected on the trade and the Grizzlies' direction, he felt confident in the fit. Advertisement 'The more I thought about it, the more excited I got about it, even though I was a little sad because it happened on Father's Day,' he said. 'I know this game; I know this business, but the more I thought about the trade, the team that I was going to, the players I was going to be playing with – I know some of the guys – and then the way the organization is trying to go, I felt like I fit right in. I got super excited.' Caldwell-Pope was acquired alongside Cole Anthony in exchange for Desmond Bane, who was sent to the Magic for four unprotected first-round picks and one pick swap. The Grizzlies are coming off a challenging 2024–25 season that ended in a first-round sweep at the hands of the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Star guard Ja Morant was injured during the series, further compounding Memphis' postseason struggles. Advertisement Caldwell-Pope joins a Memphis roster aiming to retool around a healthy core and return to contention. The former NBA champion is entering his 13th season after spending one year with Orlando, where he averaged 8.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He appeared in 77 games, shooting 43.9% from the field and 34.2% from three-point range across 29.6 minutes per night. Signed to a three-year, $66 million deal last offseason, Caldwell-Pope brings perimeter defense, veteran experience, and playoff pedigree to a Grizzlies team looking to rebound after a difficult year. Related: Desmond Bane reveals wild timing of when Magic trade went down Related: Orlando Magic's nightmare outcome for 2025 NBA Draft
USA Today
28-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ron Harper reacts to guard's bold claim about LeBron and 2020 Lakers
Ron Harper reacts to guard's bold claim about LeBron and 2020 Lakers Los Angeles Lakers fans still think highly of the 2019-20 team that cruised through the regular season and convincingly won the NBA championship inside the Walt Disney World Resort bubble. Over the last few years, many of those fans have wanted the Lakers to replicate the formula that got the job done that season and have criticized executive Rob Pelinka for dismantling the roster the team had that season. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a key guard on that team, said recently that had it been kept together, it would've won two more world titles. He also said that if that had happened, LeBron James would've had six rings and "there would be no more G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) talk." Ron Harper, a former teammate of Michael Jordan, whom many still see as the G.O.A.T., as well as someone who played alongside Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant on the Lakers, pushed back on Caldwell-Pope's talk. He took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to respond to Caldwell-Pope and try to de-legitimize L.A.'s 2020 title. Harper has previously de-legitimized the Lakers' 2023-24 NBA Cup victory, claiming that "no real fans care" about it while also saying the banner the organization put up to commemorate that win is "embarrassing." It seems Harper's loyalties lie with Jordan and perhaps Bryant. He also pushed back on the stubborn and incorrect narrative that Bryant was merely a "sidekick" to O'Neal when L.A. won three straight NBA championships with both of them in the early 2000s.
USA Today
28-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Lakers guard on how LeBron James could've become the G.O.A.T.
Former Lakers guard on how LeBron James could've become the G.O.A.T. Even though they won the NBA championship under very unusual circumstances, the 2020 Los Angeles Lakers seem to hold a special place in the hearts of the franchise's fans. The team started to establish itself as the best basketball team in the world early that season and cruised to the best record in the Western Conference. It then convincingly won it all inside the Walt Disney World Bubble and held a 3-1 lead in each playoff series it was involved in. However, that squad got dismantled shortly afterward, leading to a period of purgatory that lasted until the franchise landed Luka Doncic in that massive trade nearly four months ago. Guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was one of three viable role players who were shipped out for Russell Westbrook in the summer of 2021. That was the trade that sunk the Lakers for the duration, and Caldwell-Pope felt that the team had plenty more left in the tank. During an appearance on "Above the Rim with DH 12," he said it would've won two more rings had it been kept intact. "That team, we had a lot of moments where everything just clicked for us," Caldwell-Pope said. "Off the court, on the court, inviting to each other's houses, we were just hanging out with each other. Those were my brothers, I spent more time with my team than my family… I think if we kept that team together, we would've run off two more." In fact, he said that keeping that squad intact would've helped make LeBron James the undisputed greatest of all-time (G.O.A.T.). "… There would be no more G.O.A.T. talk, that would've put [LeBron] at six,' the guard added. James won his fourth NBA championship that year, as well as his fourth finals MVP. While an increasing number of people seem to think he's the greatest player in league history, more seem to still believe that honor belongs to Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls legend. James is a poor 4-6 in the NBA Finals, while Jordan won six rings and never lost in the championship series. However, the 40-year-old could have a great shot at getting his fifth ring next season with Doncic now by his side. Caldwell-Pope was a key player on that 2020 Lakers team due to his deadly 3-point shooting, disruptive team defense and ability to score in transition. He found his way onto the Denver Nuggets for the 2022-23 season, where he won another championship, and he now plays for a rising Orlando Magic team.
