The Los Angeles Lakers just got Lonzo Ball and Brook Lopez back from injuries, now it looks like they will truly be made whole again as starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will be able to join the team on road trips.
Caldwell-Pope has been prohibited from leaving the state of California and was only allowed to attend Lakers practices and home games due to a 25-day jail sentence stemming from a violation of his probation that he received as a result of a DUI arrest back in March.
According to ESPN’s Chris Haynes, Caldwell-Pope will be released from the Seal Beach Detention Center on Monday and will once again be permitted to travel:
Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is being released from the Seal Beach Detention Center on Monday morning and would be permitted to travel with the team outside of California, league sources tell ESPN.
Sources say he will no longer be on probation and he will have no restrictions on his driver’s license.
Caldwell-Pope had been allowed to attend Lakers practices and games played in California but had to return to the detention center afterward.
His play on the court noticeably suffered during this period, as he shot just 35 percent from the field and 23 percent from three while also lacking the defensive tenacity that he has become known for over the course of his four-year career.
Against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night, head coach Luke Walton benched Caldwell-Pope just minutes into the second half due to a lack of effort on the defensive end. He would play a season-low 20 minutes in a blowout loss, the ninth in a row for Los Angeles.
The Lakers signed Caldwell-Pope to a one year deal worth nearly $18 million this past summer, which means he will find himself on the market again in July. Caldwell-Pope will need to put his legal troubles behind him and pick up his play on the court if he hopes to cash in on a big new deal.
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