Nuggets Unwilling to Aid Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Sign-and-Trade to Mavericks, per Report

Patrick Andres | Jun 28, 2024

Apr 20, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) walks off the court during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Ball Arena. / Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

It's hyperbole to call what happened in the Western Conference this past NBA playoffs a changing of the guard, but the Denver Nuggets' sudden seven-game stumble against the Minnesota Timberwolves served notice of how quickly the tables can turn on a defending champion.

Now, the Nuggets are in the position of playing catch-up to their rivals. To that end, Denver is reportedly taking steps to make life difficult for the new champion of the West.

Per veteran NBA insider Marc Stein's latest Substack dispatch, Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is interestred in signing with the Dallas Mavericks—but Denver is unwilling to negotiate a sign-and-trade to facilitate it.

"League sources say that there would be mutual interest in free agency between Caldwell-Pope and the Dallas Mavericks," Stein wrote. "Dallas could only get into Caldwell-Pope's projected salary range via sign-and-trade. It is believed that the Nuggets do not want to participate in a sign-and-trade with an in-conference rival... even if that means losing Caldwell-Pope without compensation."

If any team knows how valuable Caldwell-Pope can be, it's the Nuggets; the veteran proved a key piece of Denver's first-ever title team in 2023. He is one of two players, along with Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday, to win multiple championships in the 2020s (as pointed out by Stein).

With the margins in the Western Conference thinner than ever, Caldwell-Pope's saga has the potential to fascinate when free agency opens Sunday.