The Detroit Pistons renounced Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, which means he will suddenly become the top unrestricted free agent on the market.
The Pistons were put in an unusual situation when they were able to land Avery Bradley in a trade with the Celtics while already hard capped to the contract given to Langston Galloway.
Bobby Marks listed some of the teams who will be able to afford the former Detroit player (via ESPN):
Teams with projected cap space include Brooklyn (but only if the Otto Porter offer sheet is matched), Chicago, Indiana, LA Lakers, New York (but only if the Tim Hardaway Jr. offer sheet is matched), Orlando, Philadelphia and Sacramento.
Philadelphia would likely no longer be in the picture after signing JJ Redick to a massive deal. The Knicks will presumably sign Tim Hardaway Jr. as the Hawks are not expected to match the offer sheet. Sacramento is considered done with free agency.
Here are some of the teams who could be legitimately interested in adding Caldwell-Pope for next season.
Brooklyn Nets
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski says Brooklyn will be a “strong contender” to land Caldwell-Pope. The Nets have been considered a potential suitor for Caldwell-Pope since before free agency began.
However, their front office has cap space tied up for five days because they offered a max deal to restricted free agent Otto Porter Jr. and will have to wait to see if Washington matches. The Wizards are expected to re-sign Porter.
Caldwell-Pope can wait until Brooklyn has the financial freedom to give him a max deal. Otherwise, one of the teams mentioned above could try and swoop in if he’s impatient.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers would likely sign Caldwell-Pope to a one-year, “prove it” deal in Los Angeles. However, the front office is said to prioritize shooting, which is an area the former Pistons guard could desperately improve.
Indiana Pacers
Last season, the Pistons considered trading Caldwell-Pope to the Pacers in a potential deal for Paul George.
Atlanta Hawks
Caldwell-Pope was born around 60 miles from Atlanta and then played college basketball for Georgia, where he won SEC Player of the Year in 2013.
Orlando Magic
As the Knicks and Nets are currently locked into offers to restricted free agents, the Magic could swoop with a potential deal for Caldwell-Pope.
