Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will leave the Denver Nuggets to sign a three-year, $66 million contract with the Orlando Magic, USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski report.
Caldwell-Pope, 31, was a valuable part of the Nuggets’ 2023 NBA championship team, in addition to the 2023-24 team. In two seasons with Denver, he averaged 10.4 points, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 42 percent of his 3-pointers.
During his career, Caldwell-Pope also won an NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. He averaged 11.4 points, three rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game during his 11 NBA seasons.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left the Denver Nuggets for the Orlando Magic on a three-year deal, I’m told.
— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) June 30, 2024
The Nuggets wanted to bring Caldwell-Pope back on his $15.4 million player option. But the veteran withdrew, counting on being able to strike a more lucrative deal in the free sector. He quickly showed the wisdom of that move by inking a deal with the Magic, who now add more scoring, better shooting and defense at the guard and wing positions.
Caldwell-Pope has also reportedly drawn interest from the Philadelphia 76ers, but all signs point to Paul George filling the wing spot. The Detroit Pistons, who originally drafted him out of Georgia in 2013. would also have liked to add an experienced shooter and defenseman like Caldwell-Pope, but he wouldn’t win there.
