Every team in the NBA has guys they passed on or traded away that they wish they could have back, including the Detroit Pistons.
The Pistons gave away guys like Khris Middleton and Spencer Dinwiddie as afterthoughts in trades that came back to haunt them, as both guys ended up being all stars.
But one guy who rarely gets mentioned as a player who got away is wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who has gone on to have a very productive career as a role player since leaving the Motor City.
KCP’s time in Detroit was inconsistent and he never lived up to the hype of being the 8th pick, but he is a good example of why you can’t have unrealistic expectations for players drafted outside of the top-3, and why patience is sometimes required if you want a guy to thrive.
The Detroit Pistons didn’t have that patience (for various reasons) and just released KCP, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent. So they got nothing for a guy who could now be filling one of their biggest needs.
Detroit Pistons: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is just what the team needs
The Pistons have a well-documented need for defense on the wing and pretty much have since KCP left the team in 2017. You can’t completely blame the Pistons for letting him go, as he hadn’t performed up to the hype of being the 8th pick, and was fresh off some off-the-court legal trouble.
The Pistons didn’t want to pay big money for a guy who looked like a role player but his defense and 3-point shooting were a bargain for the Lakers as he was a key player on their title team and now for the Denver Nuggets, as KCP is playing like one of the best 3-and-D wings in the league.
He was always a dog on defense, but never shot the ball well for the Pistons, topping out at 35 percent from 3-point range during his time in Detroit.
But he found his shot after leaving the Pistons and has shot 38, 41, 39 and now 47 percent from 3-point range over the last four seasons.
His 47 percent this season is currently 3rd overall in the NBA, and KCP is one of several Pistons who have morphed into top 3-point shooters since leaving Detroit.
He’s exactly the type of player Detroit needs right now, as their wings are either horrible defenders or can’t shoot, and KCP is very good at both.
The lesson to learn from Caldwell-Pope is that you can’t give up on players too soon and that you can’t have unfairly high expectations for a player taken outside of the top five. If you can get a guy who has a long-productive career in that range, you’ve won, which is something we need to keep in mind when it comes to guys like Killian Hayes and Saddiq Bey.
You can’t overpay for role players, but letting them go too soon can be just as damaging, especially if you just let them walk for nothing.