Report: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is considering staying in Memphis
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is allegedly trying again in Memphis after missing out on almost half of the previous season.
According to an ESPN story on Friday, the two-time NBA champion swingman will exercise his $21.6 million player option for the upcoming season and stay with the Grizzlies.
After having surgery on his right pinky finger in February, Caldwell-Pope, 33, missed 31 games last season, including the last 29. When he was shut down, he was averaging 8.4 points, 2.7 assists, and 2.5 rebounds.
In the transaction that sent Desmond Bane to Orlando during the previous offseason, the Grizzlies acquired Caldwell-Pope. Before the 2024–25 season, he signed a three-year, $66 million contract to play with the Magic for one season.
The former Georgia standout, selected eighth overall by Detroit in 2013, has played for six different teams during his 13 NBA seasons. He spent four seasons with the Pistons before joining the Los Angeles Lakers, where he won his first NBA championship in 2019–20. Before joining the Magic, he spent two seasons with the Denver Nuggets in 2023 and earned his second championship after a season with the Washington Wizards.
Although Caldwell-Pope has a career 36.5% 3-point shooting percentage, it has decreased from 40.6% in his second season with the Nuggets to 34.2% in 2024–2025 and finally 31.6% last season. Throughout his career, he has averaged 11 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists.
