Remember when people acted like the sky was falling because the Denver Nuggets let Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walk in 2024 free agency? He signed a three-year, $66 million deal with the Magic. The Nuggets lost the first starter of their 2023 championship team.
Hindsight is 20/20, but not retaining KCP worked out in Denver's favor. If Orlando could go back in time, it wouldn't have signed Caldwell-Pope. He averaged 8.7 points per game on 43.9% shooting from the field and 34.2% shooting from three last season with the Magic.
It was the first time in four seasons that KCP didn't average double-digits in points scored. His three-point shooting percentage was the lowest it had been since the 2015-16 season, when he shot 30.9% from deep.
How did Orlando respond? By including Caldwell-Pope in the Desmond Bane trade with the Grizzlies.
Can KCP have a bounce-back season with the Grizzlies?
With the East wide open following the Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton injuries, the Magic made an aggressive move, sending KCP, Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks, and a pick swap to Memphis for Bane. Orlando doesn't want another season that ends in the first round of the playoffs.
Caldwell-Pope is back in the Western Conference. He won titles with the Lakers and Nuggets, the two previous West teams he played for, but that outcome isn't likely with the Grizzlies. It'll be hard for Memphis to secure an outright playoff berth, meaning a Play-In Tournament appearance could be in the cards.
It'd help if KCP had a bounce-back season, which could happen with the Grizzlies. Last season was an outlier, or at least, that's what Memphis hopes.
Caldwell-Pope will make $21.6 million next season and has a $21.6 million player option in 2026-27, which he'll likely exercise. He's the third-highest paid player on the Grizzlies' roster, behind the Grizzlies' two stars, Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.
The upcoming season isn't technically a make-or-break season for KCP since he's signed through 2026-27, but it'll be a chance for the 32-year-old to prove that he's still the player who helped lead Denver to a title in 2023. If he can't do that, Memphis will be stuck, as Caldwell-Pope wouldn't be able to command $20+ million on the open market as an unrestricted free agent.
Will KCP be able to change the narrative? Or was this past season the start of a steep decline?