Why Signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope over Paul George Was the Right Move for the Magic

While the Orlando Magic were in the sweepstakes for Paul George before he agreed to a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and having the cap space to add other pieces was the right move.

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 — The Orlando Magic took the first step in a potential landmark offseason by signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the opening moments of free agency on Sunday.

The deal for the two-time NBA champion is for three years and worth $66 million according to USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt. Given Orlando's need for more shooting and more experience, it's tough to dispute the Magic giving KCP the contract they did, but with Paul George still available at the time, would it have hurt them to wait before pouncing at signing Caldwell-Pope?

George, 34, was the top player in this free-agent class and Orlando reportedly had a meeting set with the nine-time All-Star for either Sunday night or Monday according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. George ultimately ended up agreeing to a four-year $212 million max contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, according to Wojnarowski.

The Magic exuding patience could have made sense, especially for a player of George's caliber after he averaged 22.6 points per game and shot a career-best 41.3 percent on his 3-point attempts last season. Pushing all of their chips to the middle of the table for George came with plenty of risk, though.

Orlando would have risked other free agent targets like Caldwell-Pope potentially being off the board by the time its pursuit of George ended. Striking out in free agency could have been detrimental for a young team looking to build on its best season in over a decade.

KCP's ability to shoot and his playoff experience as a two-time NBA champion could prove invaluable for Orlando. The 6-foot-5 guard has made over 40 percent of his 3s in three of the last four seasons and his ability to defend will make him and Jalen Suggs one of the best defensive backcourts in the league next season. Caldwell-Pope, 31, has averaged at least one steal per game in three consecutive seasons.

By signing Caldwell-Pope on the first day of free agency, Orlando can keep its options open and stay in the running for a player like New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein. With around $30 million in cap space after Caldwell-Pope's deal, the Magic have room to also sign the 7-foot center as well, which wouldn't have been the case if they added George. If Orlando could manage to also sign Hartenstein and add other pieces, it will have a chance to be among the Eastern Conference's elite next season.

George would have led to immediate improvement, but long term, there's the worry it could have impacted Suggs, Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero's growth and keeping them long-term. Giving a player a max contract as they venture into their late 30s has the potential to backfire, and having all of that money tied into George as he exits his prime could have handicapped Orlando's ability to improve around its core.

There's also an argument to be made that Banchero is near or already on the same level as George. Banchero was an All-Star in his second season and announced his arrival as a superstar in the playoffs after he averaged 27 points and 8.6 rebounds per game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Sometimes the less splashy move is the best path toward improving a team. The uncertainty that came with pursuing George before signing anyone could have paved the way toward a disappointing offseason.

Instead, Orlando took matters into its own hands and signed one of the better 3-and-D guards in the league in KCP. By doing so, it has set itself up to improve in the short term while still maintaining flexibility to build around Banchero, Suggs and Wagner both this offseason and in the future.

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