Denver Nuggets
Trade deadline candidate: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Fresh off winning the 2023 NBA Championship, it would actually be surprising if the Denver Nuggets didn’t run it back and give this core a legit shot at repeating as champions next season. Trading a key part of the rotation at the NBA Trade Deadline could prevent that from happening. But if the Nuggets were to trade a player at the deadline, a good bet would be to name Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as a candidate.
Even though there’s little reason why the Nuggets would trade a starter in the middle of the season, KCP is an expiring contract after this season and with the concern of losing him for nothing, perhaps the Nuggets would much rather trade him at the deadline. That could be expedited with the continued development of Christian Braun.
If the Nuggets do move forward with trading a player at the trade deadline, KCP is, at the very least, a name to keep an eye on. Especially if either the Nuggets aren’t in a position to make another deep playoff run or if one or a few of their younger players make an unexpected leap in their development.