Kentavious Caldwell-Pope just wrapped his third NBA season and is eligible for a contract extension this summer that would kick in the year after next, in 2017-18. But he’s in no rush to get that deal done.
Per MLive.com’s David Mayo:
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was not anxious to discuss the possibility of a contract extension this summer but that may be because he isn’t anxious to do it.
“Yeah, I mean, why do it now? It’s not in my mind. I mean, it could happen. If it does happen, it happens. But right now I’m going to stay focused and get better,” Caldwell-Pope said.
It’s basically common practice now for teams and third-year players to wait on extensions. There isn’t much of an incentive for the teams, in this case the Detroit Pistons, to offer one unless they’re getting a steep discount from the player.
Waiting cheapens KCP’s cap hit, affording the Pistons even more flexibility until he signs a new deal in 2017 as a restricted free agent. This is the same approach Andre Drummond took last summer; he will be a restricted free agency in July, at which point the Pistons can go over the cap to re-sign him once they round out the rest of their roster.
The risk in these instances is minimal for the teams. They have the right to match any offer their restricted free agents receive, so they retain complete control over the player’s future while increasing their offseason spending power. And with the salary cap set to jump significantly once again in 2017, it makes sense that KCP would be preparing to follow in Drummond’s footsteps.
