Sources: Caldwell-Pope picks up option with Griz
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- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is exercising his $21.6 million player option for the 2026-27 season with the Memphis Grizzlies, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Friday.
- Caldwell-Pope, 33, underwent surgery in February to fix a misalignment on his right pinkie finger and missed the final 31 games of the season.
- Caldwell-Pope averaged 8.4 points, 2.7 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 21.3 minutes over 51 games (14 starts) in Memphis — his fewest minutes and points per game since his rookie year, shooting 49.5% on 2-pointers and 31.6% from three.
- Caldwell-Pope's three-point shooting has cratered, dipping to 31.6% last season and never clearing 34.2% over the past two years after hitting at least 39% from deep in each of the four seasons before 2024-25.
- Caldwell-Pope's option is the final year of a three-year, $66 million contract; the two-time champion (Lakers, Nuggets) arrived in Memphis from Orlando last summer in the Desmond Bane trade.
Why it matters: Caldwell-Pope is guaranteeing himself $21.6 million for 2026-27 despite a sharp two-year shooting decline and a finger injury that cost him 31 games last season, leaving Memphis locked into a $66 million commitment for a player who has regressed to his lowest production since year one. For the Grizzlies, the opt-in removes any salary-cap flexibility they might have gained from letting him walk.
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