3 intriguing Milwaukee Bucks’ trade targets with ties to Brook Lopez
By Dalton Sell
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could be a trade target for the Milwaukee Bucks
Another teammate that Brook Lopez shared the locker room with during his lone season with the Los Angeles Lakers was Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The interesting thing about KCP is that he has been linked to the Milwaukee Bucks recently, with Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reporting back in February that they held trade discussions with the Washington Wizards to acquire his services. Although nothing transpired, Milwaukee’s interest made sense then, and it still makes sense now.
The Bucks will be in the hunt for more wings this offseason, as it was evident that they could have used more of them in the postseason after Khris Middleton went down. Adding Caldwell-Pope fits the billing in that regard, as the 6-foot-5 guard could help shore up Milwaukee’s depth on the wing immediately. On the floor, KCP has been a quality role player throughout his career by averaging an intriguing 11.6 points while shooting 36 percent from 3-point range on 4.7 attempts, 3.1 boards, and 1.1 steals per game. Due to his 3-point shooting and solid defense, Caldwell-Pope would fit in perfectly with the Bucks, giving them another versatile two-way piece off the bench that brings battle-tested experience.
The interesting and rather tricky part with Caldwell-Pope is his contract situation for next season. According to Spotrac, the Wizards will have until June 28 to decide whether or not to guarantee his contract for 2022-23, which would see him earn $14 million next year. If they choose not to give him that deal, they could save themselves some money and waive him, which would allow teams such as Milwaukee to pursue him without having to trade. However, if they decide to keep him to potentially utilize him as a trade chip, the Bucks would have to put together a package to take in his full salary, which would pose some challenges. Still, whether it is in free agency or via trade, the Bucks should undoubtedly have KCP on their radar this offseason.