The story of the 2024 offseason for the Nuggets was the free agency of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Everyone could see it coming from a mile away, but nothing could be done about it at the end of the day. Denver didn’t want to offer KCP top dollar and he was able to get a three-year, $65 million offer from the Orlando Magic, which proved too much to turn down.
The Nuggets could have matched the offer and kept Caldwell-Pope in Denver, and many believed they should have done just that. But it would have come at an extreme cost. Signing that deal would have brought the Nuggets over the 2nd apron of luxury tax, limiting their ability to spend or retain any financial flexibility.
As important as KCP was to the Nuggets and their run the last couple of years, they made the tough decision to let him go and invest in the youth movement around their core four players. Caldwell-Pope landed on his feet with a young, feisty, up-and-coming Magic team that plays a perfect style for the two-time champion.
Caldwell-Pope’s shooting has fallen off a cliff
While the Magic wanted KCP for his defense and leadership, they were also hoping to get some shooting and secondary creation out of a player they’re paying over $20 million a season for. But so far, that has not been the case at all.
KCP is averaging just 9.1 points and 2 rebounds per game this season and he’s shooting a paltry 42% from the field and 32% from three. The points, rebounds, and 3-point % are all the lowest numbers Caldwell-Pope has put up since his rookie year.
It has been a pretty discouraging start offensively in Orlando, but this is something that Nuggets fans could easily have seen coming and it’s a big reason KCP is no longer in Denver. As good as he was, he was a fifth option on offense. He had a perfect role that was diminishing with each passing day.
A lot of his game was also boosted by feeding off of Nikola Jokic. The Joker constantly puts teammates in a position to succeed and helped create plenty of easy looks and soft coverages for Caldwell-Pope in recent years.
Caldwell-Pope turns 32 next month and it’s pretty clear his best days are behind him. He’s still a solid role player, but his game has been cratering lately and his shot has completely left him this season. His numbers have been declining for a few years now and he had a brutal run in the playoffs last season.
The Nuggets truly do miss KCP and what he brought them, especially on the defensive end. But they couldn’t stomach paying him $20+ million a season into his mid-thirties to be a below-average offensive player.