On Thursday, the Denver Nuggets deciding to trade Reggie Jackson to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for three second-round picks.
Denver is trading Reggie Jackson to Charlotte with three unprotected second-round picks, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 27, 2024
Nuggets Clear Salary For Future Moves With Reggie Jackson Trade
Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth continues to show that he’s willing to let members of their championship rotation depart.
KCP Staying or Going?
Preparing for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to enter free agency after the veteran declined his player option, Booth is ready to replace him with Christian Braun. Due to the constraints that the CBA imposes on teams with heavy spending, this could be financially motivated forward-thinking. Caldwell-Pope could command a substantial salary in free agency as the top 3-and-D wing available. If so, the Nuggets may not believe his on-court value matches his free market value.
Denver’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is declining his $15.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season to become a free agent, sources tell me and @Tjonesonthenba. Caldwell-Pope – a two-time NBA champion – is expected to receive interest from multiple teams with salary cap space. pic.twitter.com/R1P8fhqBfn
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2024
After all, Caldwell-Pope is coming off an underwhelming playoff run that saw him shooting 32.7 percent from 3.
However, Braun was worse, shooting 22.2 percent from 3 in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. It was his second straight postseason shooting below 25 percent from 3. As a result, though Braun possesses great length and makes a legitimate defensive impact, he’s less reliable than Caldwell-Pope, who has made at least 37 percent of his threes in three of his five playoff runs.
This makes re-signing the 31-year-old that much more important.
Reggie Jackson’s Replacement
As Jackson’s $5.3 million salary for 2024-25 will be absorbed by the Hornets, keeping Caldwell-Pope is easier. With that being said, though Jackson played well in his time with Denver, Caldwell-Pope’s role was more important. The two-time NBA champion was the team’s primary wing defender, his physical gifts and technique allowing him to guard 1-3.
Denver, which is bumping up against the second apron and still has Kentavious Caldwell-Pope out there as a pending free agent, gets some significant savings moving off of Jackson’s $5.25 million salary for next season. https://t.co/NsQMlNGXOb
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) June 27, 2024
Jackson brought a spark off the bench with his scoring and playmaking. He often excelled when stepping in for Jamal Murray as a starter. Nonetheless, with the upside of 2023 No. 2 pick Jalen Pickett, he has an in-house replacement as well.
In 2023-24, Pickett played in the G League for Denver’s affiliate team for a few games, which isn’t unusual for a rookie.
In those six games, he averaged 15.7 points, 9.2 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 41.2 percent from 3. These numbers are similar in some ways to his college stats, as he averaged 15.3 points, 5.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 35.5 percent from 3. Interestingly, he averaged 12.4 points, 6.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per 36 minutes while shooting 36.0 percent from 3 in the games he played with the Nuggets.
Of course, Denver could sign a point guard in free agency. Eric Gordon and Kris Dunn are just two options for the Nuggets. In Gordon, Denver would be signing a veteran sixth man who’s a solid scorer and consistent outside threat. Dunn is an elite on-ball defender and sharp playmaker.
