Chicago Bulls: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope an interesting free agent option

Should the Chicago Bulls make a run at Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency? He is a young and talented player who could help their rebuild situation.

The Chicago Bulls have primarily sat out of NBA free agency this offseason. After trading away Jimmy Butler, the Bulls are clearly in a rebuilding situation and are trying to be responsible with their spending. However, that does not mean they should just sit back and do nothing.

With the salary cap being lower than expected this offseason, most NBA teams are in a tough financial situation against the cap. In fact, according to Spotrac, the Bulls have the most “practical cap space” in the entire NBA. Sure, it is still slim pickings at this point in free agency, but there are still players around who would make sense in Chicago.

Enticing options

I really like the idea of the Bulls sending a restricted free agent offer sheet to Nerlens Noel. However, the Dallas Mavericks are extremely likely to match any offer sent his way. I also like the idea of the Bulls taking on a bad contract in exchange for players who can help them in the rebuild.

Some sort of Luol Deng trade with the Los Angeles Lakers could make sense for both sides, but do not expect the Bulls front office to get that creative. I mean, we are talking about GarPax here.

Well, how about simply signing a young unrestricted free agent? After the Detroit Pistons acquired Avery Bradley from the Boston Celtics earlier in the week, they rescinded their qualifying offer to guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Caldwell-Pope, who was already a restricted free agent, now hits the open market as an unrestricted free agent.

Getting to know KCP

Caldwell-Pope was the eighth overall pick by the Pistons in the 2013 NBA Draft. He has had a strong first four years in the NBA, becoming a particularly valuable asset on the defensive side of the court. His offensive game is inconsistent, but he does shoot pretty well from the catch-and-shoot position. He is no the kind of guy who you want running your offense, but KCP can space the floor a bit and will not kill you on that end.

Most importantly, he is a legitimate lock-down perimeter defender. He is a long and athletic player who can step up and take on the best player on the other team. Now, as he hits unrestricted free agency at only 24-years-old, KCP will undoubtedly get a ton of attention on the open market.

Dried up market

That being said, there really is not a lot of money left to be had. According to Sports Illustrated’s Jake Fischer, Caldwell-Pope was offered a five-year, $80 million extension by the Pistons, which “wasn’t even close” to the kind of money he is looking for. But in a depleted market, KCP is likely to be unhappy with his options.

Could the Bulls step in and make him a strong offer to be a part of their rebuild? I wouldn’t be too surprised to see if happen. As of right now, the Bulls are likely only going to bring Nikola Mirotic back into the fold. Mirotic has some offensive ability, but the Bulls would be wise to see if they can get KCP signed to similar money instead.

Honestly, I do not see how Caldwell-Pope is going to get anything more than that $16 million a year offer. The market has pretty much completely dried up and he is the last big fish available. Unless the Lakers come in with a big one-year offer, expect his contract to be underwhelming.

Use Mirotic money to sign KCP

This presents a possible buy-low option for the Chicago Bulls that they should undoubtedly be looking into. Instead of paying Mirotic $12-$14 million a year, the Bulls would be wise to offer Caldwell-Pope something like three-years, $45 million. That’s $15 million a year and gives them plenty of room to go up a bit if needed.

If he is not interested in the Bulls, they could simply hold their money over or look to make a trade with a team looking to shed a bad contract.

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A 24-year-old player who has proven to be an asset in the NBA does not hit the open market very often. Add in the lack of money available and signing KCP becomes a fantastic buy-low opportunity. The Chicago Bulls would be crazy not to at least check in with this unrestricted free agent.

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