Inside The Nuggets

Denver Nuggets Executive Breaks Silence on Losing Championship Player

The Nuggets lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency

Joey Linn

Oct 24, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets players and team personnel pose for a picture as their NBA Championship banner is lifted into the rafters before the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 24, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets players and team personnel pose for a picture as their NBA Championship banner is lifted into the rafters before the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
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The Denver Nuggets have not had a great offseason so far. Set to lose Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency to the Orlando Magic once deals can be officially signed, the Nuggets have yet to find a replacement for the sharpshooting guard who started 152 regular season games and 32 postseason games for Denver the last two years.

While Denver still has arguably the best player in basketball in Nikola Jokic, the rest of the Western Conference continues to improve, which only increases the pressure on the Nuggets.

Speaking recently with reporters, Nuggets assistant general manager Tommy Balcetis addressed the complications the league's new CBA has had on free agency, and how that has directly impacted Denver's outlook at it pertains to losing Caldwell-Pope.

“Free agency is still happening, so nothing’s set in stone, obviously. But just in general, the NBA right now is kind of on the verge of changing just a little bit because of the new regulatory changes, and the new CBA,” Balcetis said, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “I think it’s going to be a fun challenge for a lot of teams. We’re trying to be ahead of it in so many ways. I think that there’s going to be missteps along the way for every team really, to kind of start to calibrate where the CBA is going to lead us."

While Balcetis was unable to speak directly about Caldwell-Pope due to his deal with Orlando not yet being final, he spoke about the CBA in response to a question about the sharpshooting guard.

As it pertains to navigating this new CBA, Balcetis added per The Denver Post, "We’re trying to not just be in the mix with everybody. We’re trying to be better than everybody, and that means finding a specific edge. What that (edge) is, we’re in the room trying to figure out.”

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Joey Linn

JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn52@gmail.com Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis and reporting Experience: Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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