KCP’s Time to Shine: Grizzlies Golden boy Predicted Pop Out this Year in Memphis

KCP’s Time to Shine: Grizzlies Golden boy Predicted Pop Out this Year in Memphis

 

A lot of people were hoping for a historically eventful 2025 NBA summer, but in reality, there were still a lot of big transactions made all throughout the league.

 

Cole Anthony, Kentavious-Caldwell Pope, four unprotected first-round picks, and a first-round pick swap were the first major assets given by the Memphis Grizzlies to the Orlando Magic in mid-June for the services of star player Desmond Bane.

 

Many people were on the fence after this trade, as on one side, the Magic just added a much-needed offensive star who still fits their defensive culture, and on the other side, they gave up a lot of draft capital to acquire him.

 

How this impacts the Grizzlies

Of course, trading away their star guard is expected to take a toll on the Grizzlies, but there is a chance it works out great for them.

The Grizzlies still have their star duo of Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., and while they bought out Anthony after the trade, Caldwell-Pope is expected to be a surprisingly significant addition for the team.

Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes predicts that Caldwell-Pope will be the Grizzlies’ biggest “riser” for the 2025-26 season.

Yes, he’s entering his age-32 campaign and is in the midst of a year-over-year scoring decline that has lasted four seasons.

KCP still can’t be nearly as bad as he was for the Orlando Magic a year ago,” Hughes wrote. “…Memphis has better spacing, more dynamic playmaking and should position KCP well for a bounce-back year.”

Caldwell-Pope is a two-time NBA champion, winning one with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 and another with the Denver Nuggets in 2023. In both of those championship runs, Caldwell-Pope played significant roles.

In his 2020 championship run with the Lakers, Caldwell-Pope averaged 10.7 points while shooting 37.8% from beyond the arc in the playoffs, being the exact player that the Lakers needed him to be.

While the Grizzlies losing their second-leading scorer in Bane could hurt, it gives them a chance to lean on Morant and Jackson Jr. with a plethora of role players around them.

Caldwell-Pope should be an efficient three-point shooter who can play some defense for the Grizzlies next season, and the great part is that they do not need any more from him.