Former Magic wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope shared on his recent Dawg Talk Podcast that he was given advance notice about his trade to the Memphis Grizzlies before the news broke publicly last Sunday.
This heads-up meant he wasn’t surprised when the trade was announced on social media.
Although it took him a moment to process moving teams again after just one season with Orlando, the 32-year-old is now genuinely excited about joining Memphis and what he can contribute to his new squad.
“The more I talked about it, the more I got excited,” Caldwell-Pope said, highlighting new teammates like Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Zach Edey as players he’s eager to play alongside. “A lot of the guys over there I know and I’m going to enjoy playing with. Seeing them, playing against them and the style that they have, I think it fits right into my game.”
Caldwell-Pope’s 2024/25 season with the Magic was a down year; he averaged just 8.7 points per game and shot 34.2% from three-point range, both significantly below his career norms.
However, before that season, he was a reliable shooter, connecting on 40.3% of his three-pointers over five seasons.
More importantly, during that stretch, he won two NBA championships, bringing valuable playoff and championship experience to the Grizzlies – a team that, in the Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. era, has only managed to win one playoff series so far.
Caldwell-Pope feels his veteran experience and knowledge of the Memphis team will contribute positively and help the Grizzlies improve their chances of winning.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is looking forward to playing in Memphis, plus more from the Southwest Division. https://t.co/fZ9ZERrRzi
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) June 22, 2025
