Nuggets GM offers ominous replace on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s NBA free company

In his restricted time because the lead decision-maker for the Denver Nuggets, normal supervisor Calvin Booth has displayed a knack for 2 issues: Winning, and being way more candid than your common crew government.

The former high quality introduced the Nuggets their first NBA championship in franchise historical past, whereas the latter might need given the general public an evidence for why they didn’t repeat. In a 2023 preseason story from Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer that featured such astounding candor from Booth about Michael Porter Jr. and Bones Hyland that the GM was compelled to go on ESPN airwaves and claim his comments had been intended to be off the record, Booth moreover raised eyebrows with how sincere he was about whether or not he cared about repeating as champions or not.

“I simply need dudes that we attempt to develop, and it’s sustainable,” Booth told O’Connor then. “If it prices us the possibility to win a championship this yr, so be it. It’s well worth the funding. It’s extra about successful three out of six, three out of seven, 4 out of eight than it’s about making an attempt to go back-to-back.”

The Nuggets didn’t go back-to-back, and their bid for 3 out of six or 4 out of eight may very well be in critical jeopardy too, if one is to learn between the traces of Booth’s remarks from after night time one of many 2024 NBA Draft.

Ryan Blackburn of Mile High Sports requested Booth about his confidence in retaining Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the crew’s stalwart taking pictures guard starter, in NBA free company after the draft. Booth’s reply appeared to strongly indicate he’s not assured the two-time champion taking pictures guard shall be again (emphasis mine):

You talked about the beginning lineup, having all these guys collectively, having an costly beginning lineup — we’ve talked concerning the limitations that the CBA has actually offered, has that modified your perspective or formed your perspective on ensuring to retain KCP vs. completely different pathways that had been clearly restricted clearly in the event you lose him?

Booth: Yeah, I believe you must have a look at every thing and the character of free company is that he’s unrestricted. So we will attempt to convey him again and if he doesn’t wish to come again or opts to go someplace else, that’s his prerogative so we’ll must work with that. So I believe we’re ready to love plug and play so to talk. When you have a look at a few of the groups which have been good up to now, they needed to discover a technique to substitute fourth, fifth starters, sixth males off the bench and nonetheless maintain rolling. It can be good if he’s again, we’d have a whole lot of continuity collectively, however all of the stuff I’ve checked out with lineup stuff and every thing, Christian Braun is likely one of the finest internet score guys within the league — as is KCP. So I believe if he’s to step into the beginning lineup, I’d venture that we’ll be OK if KCP doesn’t return.”

That final half… Yikes. You can watch the total video for full context under, but it surely’s fairly uncommon of a GM to overtly inform the media they’ll be “OK” and not using a free agent they’re in any method hoping to retain:

Now, for a short little bit of explaining about how we bought right here…

Why would KCP go away the Nuggets?

Caldwell-Pope has a participant possibility worth approximately $15.4 million for subsequent season that the majority venture him to say no earlier than making an attempt to safe one final huge, multi-year deal at age 31, and there are more and more loud whispers that he’ll actually have a look at different groups to get that bag from.

The Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls — all groups with huge cap area in a comparatively weak free-agent class — are all anticipated to have curiosity, according to multiple reports. If these groups can’t get the kind of star they’re in search of, KCP profiles as precisely the kind of star in his position that any crew in want of 3-and-D reinforcements on the wing (learn; each crew) would covet.

So why wouldn’t the Nuggets simply pay up and maintain him?

Denver is presently just barely below the second tax apron, which comes with all kinds of consequences, from heftier luxurious taxes to potential frozen draft picks for groups who exceed it too a few years. Re-signing Caldwell-Pope to a cope with an annual wage above what he’s making proper now may very well be powerful for Denver from a team-building perspective, and is probably not one thing possession desires to pay for anyway.

Plus, as Booth talked about, Caldwell-Pope is an unrestricted free agent, so the Nuggets haven’t any avenue to cease their veteran starter from leaving if he desires to go someplace else for monetary or different causes.

However, as somebody who intently chronicled the dismantling of the 2020 championship Lakers, I can write this confidently: Undervalue KCP at your personal danger. As ESPN’s Tim MacMahon is fond of claiming on “The Hoop Collective” podcast, KCP may be quick for “Keep Championship Players.” It’s a lesson the crew the Nuggets have stomped out of the final two postseasons already needed to study the arduous method after not correctly appreciating Caldwell-Pope’s dependable taking pictures and defensive chops.

To Booth’s level about plus-minus, Braun was third on the team in that stat in the course of the playoffs (KCP was fifth). However, when playoff internet score, whereas the Nuggets outscored opponents by 3 factors per 100 possessions in Braun’s minutes and simply 0.9 in KCP’s, the crew was far worse with Caldwell-Pope on the bench (outscored by 6.5 factors) than they had been when Braun sat (-3.8), per NBA.com.

During the common season, nevertheless, the one participant with an even bigger swing in the Nuggets’ on-off ratings than Caldwell-Pope was Nikola Jokic. Some of that’s absolutely the 2 enjoying a good bit of their minutes collectively, however it’s value noting that the one participant on the crew who the Nuggets were better when they sat than Braun (internet score of 8.6 with him off the ground) was fellow teenager Peyton Watson (8.9). Again, there may be some statistical noise there absolutely, however the concept that numbers paint Braun as a simple, prompt KCP substitute are simply not fairly there.

Net score isn’t every thing, however all that is to level out that whereas holding KCP can be costly, and probably limiting from a roster-building perspective, however breaking apart a championship-caliber core too early due to fears of that may very well be even worse. The Nuggets had been already shown to be mortal this year by the Minnesota Timberwolves — do they actually wish to tempt destiny and lose their fifth starter to see if they will make the margin between themselves and different would-be West contenders even snugger?

If Booth’s feedback hinting that Caldwell-Pope is already nearly out the door are to be believed, effectively, Denver is probably not “prepared…” however they could be about to seek out out nonetheless.