Report: Magic Eyeing Kentavious Caldwell Pope, Isaiah Hartenstein in Free Agency

Could the Orlando Magic add Denver Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency?

Denver Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) passes the ball around Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) during the second quarter at Amway Center. / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO — Paul George isn't the only guy the Orlando Magic have their sights on when free agency begins on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.

Former NBA executive and NBA analyst for ESPN, Bobby Marks, broke down options for New York Knicks center and Denver Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and tabbed Orlando as a team to watch for both players.

"Keep an eye on Orlando for him," Marks said. "Keep an eye on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in Orlando. They have $52 million roughly in cap space. They can split it up and use it on both players...Keep an eye on Orlando for the next layer of guys."

NBA insider Marc Stein has echoed Marks' sentiment, labeling Hartenstein and Caldwell-Pope as the two players Orlando has been connected to ahead of free agency.

“Denver's Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and New York's Isaiah Hartenstein are the free agents Orlando has been linked to most frequently by league insiders, but again: The Magic made it onto the shortlist of teams to land a free-agent meeting with George," Stein writes.

Orlando's $52 million in cap space is the third-most in the NBA, only trailing the Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers.

Both Caldwell-Pope and Hartenstein's skillsets would fit key areas the Magic need to improve if they're going to improve on their best season in over a decade. Caldwell-Pope has shot over 40 percent on his 3-point attempts in three of his last four seasons, which would be a more than welcome addition for an Orlando team that was tied for 23rd in percent of 3s made and tied for last in 3-pointers made per game.

Caldwell-Pope, 31, opted out of a $15.4 million player option to stay with the Nuggets for the upcoming season. The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 10.1 points per game and made 40.6 percent of his 3s last season.

Hartenstein, 26, cemented himself as a starting-caliber center last season for the Knicks. He averaged 8.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 blocks per game in his 49 games as a starter for New York. In the playoffs, Hartenstein averaged 8.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and nearly one block per game.

Hartenstein's ability to pass as a center could be especially appealing for the Magic. Orlando was 15-5 in games when Wendell Carter Jr. and Goga Bitadze had at least three assists. The 7-foot center had 29 games with at least three assists last season for the Knicks.

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