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Report: Pistons renounce Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, making him unrestricted free agent

Mar 24, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) drives to the basket as Orlando Magic forward Terrence Ross (31) defends during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

After acquiring Avery Bradley from the Boston Celtics on Friday morning, the Detroit Pistons knew they didn’t have enough financial capital to retain restricted free agent guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Within hours, the team made that pretty clear by renouncing his rights, making the former lottery pick an unrestricted free agent.

Prior to acquiring Bradley from Boston, Pistons head coach and president Stan Van Gundy received harsh criticism for his handling of free agency. Here’s a team that had hard-capped itself, even with Caldwell-Pope still on the restricted free agent market.

While picking up someone of Bradley’s ilk could quiet naysayers, losing Caldwell-Pope after just four seasons is still a rather tough blow.

The former top-10 pick averaged 13.8 points while shooting at a 35 percent clip from three-point range this past season. His offensive numbers might not have improved like most had hoped, but KCP remains one of the best on-ball perimeter defenders in the game. That’s surely going to help him land a lucrative contract as an unrestricted free agent.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski went on to indicate that the Brooklyn Nets are a prime potential landing spot for KCP. Brooklyn signed Washington Wizards restricted free agent Otto Porter Jr. to a max offer sheet earlier this week.

If Washington decides to match said offer, look for the team to make a big-time play for Caldwell-Pope.

As it is, KCP is now the top unrestricted free agent in what has become a watered-down market with the plethora of moves we’ve seen over the past several days.

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