Michael Scotto reported earlier today that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is expected to exercise his $21.6 million player option for the 2026-27 season. On a surface level, it is easy to understand why some fans are frustrated given his decline in the last couple seasons. However, Caldwell-Pope picking up his option can be another win for the Grizzlies in last summer's Desmond Bane trade.
The draft capital and added flexibility were the main reasons the Grizzlies traded Desmond Bane, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was the key player heading back to Memphis. After signing a three-year $66 million deal with the Magic in the 2024 offseason, his lone season in Orlando went poorly offensively. The hope was for a bounce-back season in Memphis, but that wasn't the case.
Caldwell-Pope played in 51 games this season (including 14 starts) but ended up coming off the bench as Cedric Coward won a starting spot early on. While Caldwell-Pope initially performed better as a bench piece, it was still a challenging offensive season for him. Caldwell-Pope averaged 8.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists but shot just 31.6% from three and 41% from the field.
Unfortunately, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's season came to an early end as he needed surgery to repair a right pinky misalignment.
There are benefits to Caldwell-Pope picking up his option
Even though the on-court production has not exactly justified the contract, Caldwell-Pope still remains a very valuable veteran presence as the Grizzlies rebuild. Taylor Hendricks, Cedric Coward, GG Jackson II, and Jaylen Wells make up a very promising group of young wings on the Grizzlies roster. It would still be beneficial for them to have a veteran presence like Caldwell-Pope.
The other and arguably most important angle is that the Grizzlies have another trade piece to start the rebuild. On a surface level, it does not sound great for Caldwell-Pope to be one of the highest earners on the team given his decline in production. Despite this, his deal will expire next summer, and it can be extra salary that the Grizzlies can move this offseason or even at the trade deadline for more assets.
Given that the team is starting a rebuild, it is quite clear that there will be a pretty dramatic roster overhaul during the next couple offseasons. While some fans were hoping that Caldwell-Pope would not pick up his option, it was simply the right choice for him. Not only that, the Grizzlies still stand to benefit even if the move seems upsetting on a surface level.
This is the first major domino to fall for what should be a busy offseason in Memphis. The Desmond Bane trade is already looking like a win for the Grizzlies, and it looks like the team is not done reaping the benefits of the deal.