The Los Angeles Lakers initial and continued employment of shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been the source of jokes among those who want to call tampering or nepotism on Klutch Sports. But Caldwell-Pope has been a consistently strong individual defender, as well as a willing and decent 3-point shooter over the course of his six-year NBA career. And he’s in position to benefit financially if he can improve on his marks from last year across the board.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks revealed the $1.2 million in incentives that Caldwell-Pope can get next season that was baked into the two-year, $16 million contract he signed this summer.
If the Lakers advance to the Western Conference finals, KCP will earn $50,000. There’s also $350,000 available for per-game assists (1.85), per-game rebounds (4.0) and per-game steals (1.2). He reached those three statistical criteria during the 2017-18 season but not in 2018-19.
In addition to the incentives listed, he could also get some additional money for being on an All-Defensive team, which would be a tall order for someone coming off the bench. Nevertheless, Rich Paul and the Lakers have put Caldwell-Pope in a position to benefit if he helps the Lakers accomplish big team goals.
