KCP's Buyout Leaves Memphis Without a Veteran Guard — Again

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope opted in on June 19, and Memphis leaned on that decision as proof the rebuild had a floor. Six weeks later he's headed to Philadelphia. The Grizzlies agreed to a buyout, and Caldwell-Pope plans to sign a one-year deal with the 76ers after clearing waivers. Whatever stability his opt-in was supposed to signal, it's gone.

The backcourt situation is now thin in a way that matters. Cam Spencer is the most experienced guard left on the roster — a reliable playmaker who averaged 5.4 assists per game last season — but he's currently managing a day-to-day issue, as are Jaylen Wells and several other contributors. That's a lot of question marks in one position group at the same time, in July.

What Memphis has is a young core built around Jaren Jackson Jr. and a collection of forwards who can score. What it doesn't have, after losing Morant, Conley, Aldama, and now Caldwell-Pope in the span of a month, is anyone in the backcourt who has been through a full NBA season as a primary option. That's not a crisis yet, but it's the kind of gap that tends to announce itself early in October.