Ideal Sixers Target on the Outs With Current Team
By Jovan Alford
The Philadelphia 76ers could be one of the busiest teams this offseason as they have a ton of cap space to remake their roster next season.
The Sixers have been connected to multiple players like Klay Thompson, Paul George, Brandon Ingram, Jimmy Butler, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. For Philly to compete in the East against the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks next season, they must address the wing spot. And if that’s the case, Caldwell-Pope could be one of their top choices.
After the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, Denver Nuggets GM Calvin Booth was asked about the veteran shooting guard potentially returning to the Mile High City. Booth didn’t sound too concerned about Caldwell-Pope not coming back, which is good news for the Sixers and other teams interested in his services.
"So, we can try to bring him back and if he doesn’t want to come back or opts to go somewhere else, that’s his prerogative so we’ll have to work with that, the Nuggets GM said (h/t Ryan Blackburn of Mile High Sports). So, I think we’re prepared to like plug and play so to speak. When you look at some of the teams that have been good in the past, they had to find a way to replace fourth, fifth starters, sixth men off the bench and still keep rolling."
I asked Calvin Booth about retaining Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
— Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) June 27, 2024
“When you look at good teams in the past, they had to find a way to replace fourth, fifth starters.”
You’re gonna wanna listen in. pic.twitter.com/w42AcvCtqw
The 31-year-old Pope is likely due for a huge pay raise this offseason after reportedly declining his $15.4 million player option to become an unrestricted free agent. The Sixers have the cap space to offer him a contract upwards of $20M-plus this offseason.
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
The veteran two-guard averaged 10.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 31.6 minutes per game this season with the Nuggets. While Sixers fans won’t be impressed by his scoring, he did shoot 46 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from beyond the arc (4.1 attempts per game). It was the third time in the last four years that Caldwell-Pope shot 40-plus percent from deep.
Caldwell-Pope won’t fix all of the Sixers’ issues, but he would be one of the pieces to the puzzle to help them accomplish their goals next season.
More Sixers news and analysis:
feed