No. 2 - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
This is obviously the biggest story of the offseason in Denver and it’s quietly one of the biggest stories in the whole NBA. KCP has been a massive part of the Nuggets’ dominant starting lineup and overall success over the past couple of seasons.
But he has outplayed his contract and is almost certain to opt out of his $15.4 million deal later this month and become an unrestricted free agent. Caldwell-Pope will be highly coveted on the open market as he’s been great in Denver and certainly earned a raise.
The good news for the Nuggets is that the team retains his Bird rights so they’ll be able to match any contract and can pay well over the salary cap to keep KCP in Denver. The problem is that inking a large deal for Caldwell-Pope drastically limits the Nuggets’ ability to do anything else with the roster. At a certain price, the team may have to sadly just cut their losses and move on.
This is a decision that could easily define the next few years of Nuggets basketball and the front office better choose what to do wisely. Ultimately, I believe KCP is too valuable to what the team does and would be impossible to replace. The front office will recognize that their strength is in their starting lineup and they cannot afford to take a step back at the pinnacle of Jokic’s career. For those reasons I predict they’ll pay up and do what it takes to bring back Caldwell-Pope - but it won’t be easy.