The Los Angeles Lakers have been eliminated from the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets in each of the last two seasons. Nikola Jokic and company have dominated the Lakers over the last two seasons thanks to their combination of size, versatility and offensive power.
Fortunately for the Lakers, they will have a weakened opponent when they face the Nuggets next season due to Denver’s mistakes in free agency. The Nuggets made the mind-boggling decision when free agency opened to allow veteran starter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to sign with the Orlando Magic. Now, they have no way to replace him in their starting lineup due to their financial constraints.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope intends to sign a three-year, $66 million contract with the Orlando Magic, sources said @ElAthletic @Stadium. Big signing for the surging Magic, acquiring the starting shooting guard of two NBA championship teams. image.twitter.com/fhu04mauIx
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2024
The Denver Nuggets had the best starting lineup in the NBA in recent years. Caldwell-Pope was a big part of that with his elite 3-point shooting ability and guard defense. Now, they have to replace him with Christian Braun in the starting lineup, a non-shooting guard.
This means the Nuggets will have less firepower, worse spacing, and likely a weaker offense.
What should be of great concern to Nuggets fans is that this was a purely financial decision. If owners were willing to pay the luxury tax and take the risk of being on the second line, they could have kept Caldwell-Pope. Their unwillingness to spend could be a hindrance to their ability to build championship-level rosters around Nikola Jokic.
This is great news for the Lakers. The Western Conference is already stacked with talented teams. A weaker Denver team that the Lakers can beat will open the way for a deep postseason run.
Los Angeles has a chance to close the gap on other Western Conference contenders this offseason. General manager Rob Pelinka and the front office still need to get their decisions right this summer to get on par with the Denver Nuggets.
