As part of a blockbuster trade that sent Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic, former Denver Nuggets starter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was swapped to the Memphis Grizzlies.
The two-time championship-winning guard who won Denver’s 2023 title was packaged with Cole Anthony and four first-round picks, plus a future pick swap. Some of those draft picks, including a possible Wizards or Suns choice in the 2026 NBA Draft, may be extremely valuable for the Grizzlies, who have been to the playoffs in four of the last five seasons. This move marks the team breaking up their three-man core of Bane, Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., who had only won one playoff series but gave the Nuggets some really good battles in recent years.
While the move could be seen as Memphis taking a step back from contention, they’re getting two really good role players right away. Cole Anthony is a capable backup point guard with a lot of skill. The biggest name going back for Bane is KCP, who had just left the Nuggets for the Magic last summer to sign a 3-year, $66 million deal. His one season in Orlando was a disappointment, with his shooting percentages plummeting, though he still contributed to one of the best defenses in the league. The young Magic may have been stout, but they were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in recent memory, and that spelled out a second-straight first-round exit.
The shakeup comes in the addition of Bane, who has shot about seven threes a game over the last two seasons at a 39% clip, good for over 20 points a game while also being strong on the rock for over five assists a contest. The sizeable two-guard can also size up and play multiple spots on defense, and should pair nicely next to the dogged Jalen Suggs in support of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. For the Magic, this trade could be very similar for them as the one that sent KCP to Denver, two important players in Will Barton and Monte Morris, out worth a sizeable return, with the perfect fit coming back.
Some have already speculated on trade thoughts that get KCP back to Denver. Maybe the 31-year-old just had a rough season, and he could use a little more Nikola Jokic in his life. Memphis does seem to have a lot of moving parts and could keep shaking things up. But in the case KCP stays, he’ll be playing on a team the Nuggets play some really tough matchups with. He should slide in strong as a spot-up shooter and defender next to the driving-and-dishing but smaller Morant. It would be no surprise to see the vet guard regain form for the fast-paced rookie head coach, Tuomas Iisalo.
While some may see this as the ultimate win of letting KCP go, and picking Christian Braun, Denver could have had both, at least for this past season, and operated as a second apron team with the only cost being they would not have signed the useless Dario Saric. By not paying KCP, Denver is due for a massive bill to Braun, who is a rookie extension-eligible player and may ride his very good season as a starter to as much as $30 million a year shortly.
