Detroit Pistons shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. (Photo : Getty Images)
The deadline for signing the Detroit Pistons' incoming fourth-year shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a contract extension is on Oct. 31. Both parties should have a firm decision by then whether an extension is really wanted or the player will play through the coming season and become a restricted free agent next summer.
Rumors abound that the 23-year-old former Georgia Bulldogs standout is seeking a $20 million a year deal moving forward whether with the Pistons or with another team. Detroit is said to be willing to pay only $15 million a season, still pricey for someone in the level of Caldwell-Pope, but it is allegedly not enough for the 8th overall pick of the 2013 draft.
Caldwell-Pope is entering the final season of his four-year, $12 million contract with the Pistons and so he will receive a qualifying offer from them next season at an amount of $4.9 million as a restricted free agent. Should he choose to accept the qualifying offer and stay in Detroit, he will become an unrestricted free agent the season after that.
But if another team offers him a bigger deal, probably the $20 million that he wanted, then the Pistons still has the opportunity to match it because he is restricted.
SB Nation noted that Detroit is still weighing whether to give in or not to Caldwell-Pope's demands despite his strong defensive game as they are hesitant about his performance in the offensive end of the floor.
At his position, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard is only shooting at a career 33.9 percent rate from beyond the arc, something that needs to improve since he is playing in an offense that is heavy on Reggie Jackson-Andre Drummond pick-and-rolls.
The fans have mixed feelings about Caldwell-Pope because of that, but so does the team's senior officials.
Pistons president and head coach Stan Van Gundy himself is not hurrying to arrive in a final decision as he is speculated to use up all his time until the deadline to make that.
"We've got plenty of time," said Van Gundy, via the Detroit Free Press. "Everybody needs to sort of be able to take a breath at the end of this so there's no real rush on that."
"Everybody knows he's a guy we consider part of our core and would love to have long term," the coach added.
