Lakers championship, LeBron James
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James celebrates with teammates after receiving their NBA Championship rings at Staples Center.
The Los Angeles Lakers may be uniquely positioned to benefit from the Memphis Grizzlies’ organizational pivot — not just from their former All-Star point guard Ja Morant, but from a broader reorientation toward youth, flexibility and financial reset.
That shift has opened the door for creative trade structures that could allow the Lakers to improve their perimeter defense while extracting draft assets — without sacrificing the long-term flexibility they’ve carefully preserved.
The most intriguing version of that concept came this week from The Athletic’s Dan Woike.
Dan Woike Floats Lakers–Grizzlies Trade Framework
Woike outlined a scenario in which the Lakers could reacquire familiar help in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope while receiving draft compensation from Memphis:
Lakers receive: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, two second-round picks
Grizzlies receive: Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber
“I’ve spoken with people around the league about a deal similar to this,” Woike wrote. “With the Lakers sending out expiring money for Caldwell-Pope, who has a proven past as a postseason difference-maker.”
Woike noted that Caldwell-Pope’s $21 million player option for next season could incentivize Memphis to attach draft compensation to offload future salary.
“At this stage, he’s more solid than anything else,” Woike added. “And because of the player option, a team might grab an asset or two if it helps Memphis get off some cash.”
Why Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Still Matters in Los Angeles
Caldwell-Pope remains one of the most trusted two-way role players of the past decade.
He played a central role in the Lakers’ 2020 championship run, starting all 21 playoff games and averaging 10.7 points per contest while shooting 37.8% from three. His signature moment came in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, when he scored five straight points late in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers pull away from Miami.
He later won a second championship with Denver in 2023, further reinforcing his reputation as a reliable playoff contributor.
At age 32, Caldwell-Pope no longer profiles as a long-term building block — but he still fits the exact archetype the Lakers lack: a disciplined perimeter defender who can space the floor without needing the ball.
The Cap Space Dilemma Holding the Lakers Back
The appeal of the trade is clear. The obstacle is financial philosophy.
The Lakers have spent the past two seasons meticulously preserving salary-cap flexibility for the summer of 2026, when they project to have as much as $50 million in cap space, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
That flexibility stems from a roster built almost entirely on short-term contracts. Luka Dončic’s three-year, $165 million extension is the only long-term commitment. Jake LaRavia, Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart were all signed to two-year deals with player options. LeBron James’ $52.6 million salary will come off the books after next season.
That structure gives the Lakers rare freedom — and they are reluctant to compromise it.
Marc Stein: Lakers Will Only Spend Flexibility on a ‘Needle-Mover’
NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Lakers are open to surrendering their financial flexibility — but only for a transformational upgrade.
“It’s believed that the Lakers are only going to sacrifice their projected financial flexibility in the summer only if they can acquire a real needle-mover at the position,” Stein earlier wrote in The Stein Line.
That distinction is critical.
Caldwell-Pope, while valuable, does not meet that threshold.
Why This Trade Is Unlikely — Even If It Makes Sense
Woike himself acknowledged the tension.
“I like the general idea of a trade like this,” he wrote, “with one big caveat: I’m not sure a second or two is worth eating into the cap space I’d preserved for the summer.”
Unless a trade returns a multi-season core piece, the Lakers view their expiring contracts not as tools for marginal upgrades — but as placeholders for something bigger.
That makes their expiring salaries paradoxically less valuable at the deadline.
The Lakers aren’t unwilling to make a move.
They’re unwilling to make the wrong one.
Caldwell-Pope represents familiarity, stability and defensive competence — but not transformational impact. And for a front office laser-focused on timing, leverage and optionality, transformation is the only currency worth spending flexibility on.