Roundtable: Reaction to the Nuggets acquiring Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

We have another trade! Denver is trading Will Barton and Monte Morris to the Washington Wizards for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith. DNVR Nuggets discusses the deal, what’s next for Calvin Booth, and maybe most importantly, who has the inside track on taking the Mr. Nugget title with Morris’ departure.

What’s your instant reaction to the trade?

Wind: The Nuggets got their guy in KCP, someone they’ve wanted for months. He gives Denver a slight shooting upgrade — KCP shot 39% from 3-point range, 45% from the corners, and an elite 42% on catch-and-shoot 3s — but the bigger story is that he’s a significant defensive upgrade over Will Barton. That’s the main takeaway. Denver got better defensively today. It felt like Barton lost two steps on defense last season and it really hurt the Nuggets as a team. He was integral to the Nuggets’ rise, but his time here was clearly up. Caldwell-Pope is a smoother fit as the Nuggets’ fifth option on offense, which he’ll be. He has a championship pedigree. Denver’s going to have more of a defined pecking order on that end of the floor this season.

Losing Monte Morris is a tougher pill to swallow. I had heard that Denver did not want to trade Morris unless the Nuggets felt it definitely upgraded their roster. Morris was such a foundational piece of the Nuggets’ team culture that Denver doesn’t take losing him lightly. But this was a deal the Nuggets felt like they had to make.

Vogt: KCP was a front office target, and they got their guy in the nascent stages of free agency. They deserve credit for that, and I think the move brings them closer to a title.

However, every trade has a cost, and the price here is significant. The Nuggets have two fewer playmakers in tow and have moved on from both Mr. Nugget and the longest-tenured Nugget on the team. Booth spoke publicly about his willingness to make “unpopular” moves, and this may qualify given Monte’s inclusion. In a vacuum, the price is a little steep. Denver probably sent out more talent than they got back, and they sent out a very popular player. But they needed KCP, and Bones’ emergence makes Morris more expendable.

Mares: I like it. Is it a steep price to pay losing two key rotation pieces? Sure. But at the end of the day, the Nuggets got what they needed most out of the deal: a defensive upgrade at shooting guard. They also have the ability to add more defense on the wing with a newly created $9.1 million trade exception.  This is a good deal already but can be a great deal if they find the right trade or free agent in the coming days.

Just how good can the Nuggets’ new starting lineup be?

Wind: It will be better defensively. Offensively, it has the potential to be better, but we’ll see how quickly KCP can establish a chemistry with Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. The sneaky downside of KCP’s offensive game is that he did a lot of work in the mid-range last season. KCP attempted 37% of his shots from the mid-range last year (86th percentile), and he especially loves the long mid-range (23% of his shot attempts came from that zone). But KCP was somewhat efficient from there. He converted 41% of his mid-range attempts. For comparison, 28% of Barton’s shots came from mid-range last season. He converted 38% of those attempts.

Still, I think KCP will adjust to playing around the offensive talent that the Nuggets have and re-center his offense around the 3-point line. He should definitely attempt more than the 5.3 3-pointers he shot per game last season. There’s a strong case to be made that the Nuggets have the best starting five in the league.

Vogt: The best in the league. In the past, we’ve seen the core four operate on that level, and KCP patches up some of their holes. While he’s an overall less versatile offensive player than Barton, he’s instrumental from the corners, where he should expect to eat in Denver. Any remaining questions are about health and the bench unit. The starters are ready for their title run.

Mares: Elite. Last season, Denver’s starting lineup held a 121.3 ORTG and a 111.8 DRTG.  How much better does that lineup get when you swap Murray, Caldwell-Pope, and Porter Jr. for Morris, Barton, and Green? All 3 spots feel like an upgrade on both ends of the court. More importantly, the lineup only features one major defensive liability in Porter Jr.

What’s left for Calvin Booth to accomplish this summer?

Wind: The bench still isn’t good enough. This trade proves that the Nuggets are 100% confident in Bones Hyland next season, but if they’re going to play him and Ish Smith next to each other on the bench Denver needs to add a defensive piece on the wing. That piece needs to be bigger than Austin Rivers or Davon Reed and just flat out a better player. Booth has shown he’s aggressive, and Denver has to go and use its MLE $6.3M if it’s the taxpayer (there’s a list of potential targets here) or Jeff Green to try and get another good defender. A backup center that can defend the rim is a need too.

Vogt: Denver still has roster spots to fill, exceptions to use, and holes to plug. A defensive-oriented wing and a quality backup center will round out the roster construction. There’s also a potential log jam at forward that could be cleared up by moving Jeff Green. Above all else, I expect and hope they operate in the tax. Ownership made that commitment.

Mares: There is still a lot of work for the Booth and the Nuggets front office and this trade will feel a lot less like a win if they don’t use all of their remaining assets to complete the team. They need a backup center, preferably one that offers rim protection. They need more defense and length at the guard and wing spots in the second unit. Most notably, someone who could slot in for Porter Jr. in a more defensive minded lineup should the Nuggets need that in the playoffs. Players like Bruce Brown or Cody Martin seem like ideal candidates for such a role.

Who’s the leader in the clubhouse to be the next new Mr. Nuggets?

Wind: Bones Hyland, but he’s not anointed yet. The process will play out this summer.

Vogt: It’s got to be Bones for a long list of good reasons. I humbly submit another candidate, however. Don’t sleep on Aaron Gordon, who embraced the team and culture with open arms when TC made his own “unpopular” move, shipping Gary Harris out of town. Nuggets fans love Nuggets players that love being Nuggets. These two qualify.

Mares: It’s clearly Bones but the biggest holdup might be that he is too popular. Mr. Nugget isn’t a star. Bones may be on the cusp of becoming a star. He still has the inside track but it’s possible, maybe even likely, that he is a short-term Mr. Nugget before becoming the first player to graduate from that title.