There were many critics and skeptics of the moves made by the Denver Nuggets last summer, and for good reason. The team ended up trading a total of six second-round picks to dump Reggie Jackson’s contract and move up a few spots in the draft. They took DaRon Holmes, who may be a great pick, but he hasn’t played due to a torn achilles.
The team also chose to let Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walk in free agency, replacing him with just veteran free agents Russell Westbrook and Dario Saric. They also brought back a pair of veterans in DeAndre Jordan and Vlatko Cancar, while letting Justin Holiday depart.
Other than that, Calvin Booth and the Nuggets’ front office essentially chose to run it back, stay pat, and promote from within. They had a strong belief in their recently drafted players like Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, and Julian Strawther to all take a leap with expanded opportunities.
In the moment, it seemed like the Nuggets were being cheapskates. They were taking a clear step back in talent, and refusing to make all-in moves during the heart of Nikola Jokic’s prime years. They did extend Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, fortifying the core, but the pieces around them were massive question marks.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope drafted as one of worst contracts in NBA
On a recent episode of the Bill Simmons Podcast, Bill, House, and Big Wos of the Ringer, drafted their worst contracts in the NBA. Each host took turns drafting players with the worst contracts like Bradley Beal, Joel Embiid, Paul George, and others.
The draftees were mostly aging, injury-prone former stars, or guys who were overpaid for one reason or another. But after the first few rounds and the obvious suspects were selected, Simmons drafted former Nugget and current Orlando Magic Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and his three-year, $66 million deal.
The deal was almost universally praised at the time of signing but KCP has struggled mightily on the offensive end and his shooting numbers have fallen off a cliff in the first year of the deal. Meanwhile, slotting into the Nuggets starting lineup with Jokic, Christian Braun has had an incredible year, almost doubling KCP’s numbers across the board and playing his way into the Most Improved Player Award conversation.
So, while it’s certainly still fair to criticize Denver’s roster and many of the moves they made, this may not be one. That contract already looks big and will likely age poorly. If the Nuggets had matched that deal, they’d be over the second apron with no room to maneuver. They’d be locked into an old, expensive roster without a very high ceiling.
They took a lot of heat in the moment, and things are far from perfect right now, but the Nuggets look to have dodged a major bullet walking away from the Caldwell-Pope contract.