1) Chicago Bulls targets that pair with White
It was a bit surprising that the Los Angeles Lakers saw the two-way shooting guard/small forward Kentavious Caldwell-Pope decline his player option as fast as he did this week. KCP hitting the open market does likely guarantee a good amount of suitors for him. Given that he played well for the Lakers down the stretch and throughout their title run, he is likely to cash out when his stock is high around the NBA landscape.
On Nov. 16, KCP turned down his player option for the 2020-21 season, which would’ve been worth around $8 million. He signed a two-year contract last offseason, with a player option clause set before next season, and worth around $16.5 million in total. He’s likely to get more than that this time around in free agency.
However, if the Bulls could get KCP somewhere in the ballpark of $10-12 million, it would be worth at least seeing what his interest is in coming to play in Chicago. KCP is a solid defender and a good catch-and-shoot wing when he’s in rhythm. As previously mentioned, given the Bulls need to add depth on the wing heading into next season, adding KCP would be valuable to them.
During the shortened 2019-20 regular season, KCP played in 69 games with the Lakers (26 of which he started in). And he averaged 9.3 points per game, 2.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.2 blocks. KCP shot 46.7 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 77.5 percent from the free-throw line.
Weirdly enough, a lot of the production and efficiency that the Lakers got out of KCP for much of this past regular season is similar to what the Bulls got out of Shaquille Harrison.