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Denver Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth did not mince words, addressing the upcoming free agency of their key starter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
“Yeah, I think you have to look at everything and the nature of free agency is that he’s unrestricted. So, we can try to bring him back and if he doesn’t want to come back or opts to go somewhere else, that’s his prerogative so we’ll have to work with that,” Booth told reporters after the NBA Draft on Wednesday, June 26.
Caldwell-Pope is declining his $15.4 million player option, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Tony Jones. The two-time champion 3-and-D wing would have been eligible to sign a four-year, $96.8 million extension starting July 16 if he exercises the player option, according to ESPN’s front office insider Bobby Marks.
But that’s now out of the window.
Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer linked Caldwell-Pope to three Eastern Conference teams.
“Kentavious Caldwell-Pope would seem, at present, to be the veteran in line to benefit from the Magic’s cap space. Caldwell-Pope is also believed to have a potential home in Chicago, should the Bulls ultimately lose out on Williams, in addition to Philadelphia viewing the veteran wing as a backup option,” Fischer wrote on June 21.
Nuggets’ In-House Option if Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Leaves
Booth said the Nuggets have a backup plan in place in case Caldwell-Pope leaves in free agency.
“So, I think we’re prepared to like plug and play so to speak,” Booths told reporters. “When you look at some of the teams that have been good in the past, they had to find a way to replace fourth, fifth starters, sixth men off the bench and still keep rolling.
It would be nice if he’s back, we’d have a lot of continuity together, but all the stuff I’ve looked at with lineup stuff and everything, Christian Braun is one of the best net rating guys in the league, as is KCP. So, I think if he’s to step into the starting lineup, I would project that we’ll be OK if KCP doesn’t return.”
Caldwell-Pope has an 11.3 net rating this past season, 34th in the NBA. While the 23-year-old Braun had a positive net rating, he was way far off from Caldwell-Pope. Braun registered a 0.7 net rating, ranked 232nd in the NBA this past season.
Booth’s thinking is Braun would benefit from playing alongside three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, who has the team’s best net rating at 11.8.
Nuggets’ Best Perimeter Defender
Caldwell-Pope was the Nuggets’ best perimeter defender.
Denver opponents shot 40.6% when Caldwell-Pope was the closest defender, per Second Spectrum (h/t ESPN’s front office insider Bobby Marks), the best mark in the regular season among all players to defend more than 500 shots.
On offense, he shot 40.6% from the 3-point range, making him one of the top 3-and-D wings in the league. The 30-year-old Caldwell-Pope averaged 10.1 points 2.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals across 76 regular-season games.
Caldwell-Pope is also one of the most durable players, missing only 16 regular-season games over the last three seasons. However, his performance dipped in the last playoffs. He struggled to shoot the ball, hitting only 39.5% from the field and 32.7% from the 3-point area.
If he leaves, it will mark the second consecutive offseason that they are losing a key player.
Bruce Brown Jr. left the Nuggets last year following their 2023 championship run, accepting a balloon payment offer — two-year, $45 million with the second year as a team option — from the Indiana Pacers.
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