Kentavious Caldwell-Pope now more likely to sign with Knicks?

The Los Angeles Lakers’ new additions to their backcourt may be leaving Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as an odd man out.

SportsNet New York’s Ian Begley reports Friday that rival teams monitoring Caldwell-Pope’s free agency expect the New York Knicks to have interest in him. The Knicks have nearly $40 million in cap space to work with.

Caldwell-Pope, 27, seems less likely now to return to the Lakers after they signed Wesley Matthews and traded for Dennis Schroder. The Knicks have reportedly been pursuing Gordon Hayward with some of their cap room, but that could inevitably be a lost cause.

In any event, the Knicks recently waived guard Elfrid Payton, creating an opening in their backcourt. Caldwell-Pope also used to be teammates with a pair of Knicks: Reggie Bullock on the Detroit Pistons and Julius Randle on the Lakers. New York may ultimately be a more desirable destination than this other cap-space team with interest in Caldwell-Pope.