Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s run in Memphis looks close to ending before it ever really got going.
NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that the Grizzlies are working with Caldwell-Pope’s camp and will likely trade or release the veteran wing “relatively soon.” Memphis has been reshaping its roster, and Caldwell-Pope now appears to be one of the pieces on the way out.
The move would continue a sharp decline from where things stood a year ago. Caldwell-Pope entered the 2024 offseason as Orlando’s marquee free agent addition, but his first year with the Magic never matched the expectations that followed him from Denver.
After a strong two-year stretch with the Nuggets that included a starting role on a championship team, his numbers dipped in Orlando. He had been a 40.3% three-point shooter over the previous five seasons before joining the Magic, but he shot 34.2% from deep and averaged 8.7 points per game in 2024/25.
That led to a trade from Orlando to Memphis last summer as part of the Desmond Bane deal, but the fit in Tennessee didn’t improve much. Caldwell-Pope put up 8.4 points per game in 51 appearances for the Grizzlies, shooting .410/.316/.913 in 21.3 minutes per night. His season ended in February after surgery to correct a misalignment in his right pinky finger.
Memphis has since moved on from Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant after acquiring Caldwell-Pope, and the franchise is clearly leaning into a youth movement. That makes his $21.6MM expiring contract an obvious candidate to be cleared from the books, especially if the team wants to create a roster spot in the process.
Caldwell-Pope still brings value as a three-and-D wing with championship experience. He’s won titles with both the Lakers and Nuggets, and at 33, he could still help a team looking for help on the perimeter. The challenge is financial: his cap hit makes a trade tricky, which leaves open the possibility of a buyout if he and his representatives can line up another landing spot.
And there is at least one team already looking in that direction. Dan Woike of The Athletic reported earlier today that the Lakers are searching for a wing defender and are checking the market, though they can only offer the veteran’s minimum.
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For the Magic, the departure trims a familiar layer from a frontcourt that already leaned on Wendell Carter Jr. and Goga Bitadze ahead of him, which is why Wagners exit leaves a real hole in the depth chart. There was also a stretch last season when he looked like more than just a spare piece, making the loss sting a bit more for a team that has tried to build with continuity and size around its core. [Read more 🡒]