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The LA Lakers haven't made any significant roster changes of late, but the latest NBA trade rumors suggest that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could be on the move. Frank Vogel's unit needs a few upgrades following LeBron James' injury and trading Caldwell-Pope could be a way to acquire useful pieces.
Well-known NBA personality Rob Perez hosted a voice chat room on Twitter last night with ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Brian Windhorst and Bobby Marks. During the live broadcast, Windhorst mentioned that the LA Lakers are shopping Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope played a crucial role for the LA Lakers in their championship run in the bubble. As a result, he was rewarded with a three-year $40 million contract this offseason.
NBA Trade Rumors: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's declining impact on the LA Lakers
While he did have a strong start to the 2020-21 campaign, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has struggled a lot from the field in the last two months. Since February, he's averaging just 7.8 points on 38.3% shooting from the field. In fact, his season average of 8.4 points per game is KCP's worst tally since his rookie year.
Caldwell-Pope's production going forward has been fairly limited. He has thrived on the LA Lakers' rotation offensively by playing off of LeBron James. He's relied on King James' distribution a lot and 89.3% of his field goals made this season have been assisted. KCP isn't known for his playmaking skills either.
Having said that, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's mid-sized contract, championship experience and defensive ability make him a good prospect for other playoff hopefuls.
The LA Lakers won't be too eager to trade him though. Caldwell-Pope has been through several inconsistent spells during his tenure in the City of Angels. If the Purple and Gold don't get a reasonable upgrade in exchange for KCP, they'll probably prefer to stick with him and hope that he comes good again.
Also read: NBA Trade Rumors: New York Knicks could target Norman Powell to improve shooting depth
