Report: Nuggets Guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Makes Contract Decision
DENVER, CO - APRIL 29: Michael Porter Jr. #1 of the Denver Nuggets and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope #5 of the Denver Nuggets high five during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers during Round One Game Five of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on April 29, 2024 at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. Bart Young/Getty Images
The Denver Nuggets won the championship in 2023, and they were one game away from competing in the Western Conference Finals this year.
They kept their core together from the title-winning team, with players like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope proving to be valuable contributors once again after the title-winning campaign.
Caldwell-Pope has a $15.4 million player option this season, and he's taking a chance on the open market.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Caldwell-Pope is declining that option, and he will become a free agent once the window opens on Sunday night.
Charania says that Caldwell-Pope will command offers from teams with a surplus of cap room.
Caldwell-Pope represents an opportunity for other teams around the league to poach an important role player from a title-winning team.
The Nuggets have already committed to large contracts for Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr., and another big deal could be on the way for Jamal Murray.
Charania says that the Nuggets are working on an extension for Murray in excess of $200 million, making him the third player on the team to command that number.
The league's new second apron rules will make it more difficult for teams to keep stars together for extended periods of time, unless those players decide to take a pay cut.
The Boston Celtics and general manager Brad Stevens have managed to avoid this by signing most of their players to deals before the new CBA takes effect.
They're planning to offer Jayson Tatum a huge new contract extension, but their savvy roster building and contract management should allow them to keep their core together around Tatum's new deal.
The Nuggets can still bring KCP back this offseason, but they'll have to make a better offer than the other teams around the league in order to do it.