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The Orlando Magic will sign free agent guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a three-year contract, according to USA Today. The deal will be worth a total of $66 million, ESPN reported.
Caldwell-Pope, a starter for the Denver Nuggets’ 2023 championship team, was a vital piece during his two-year tenure in the Mile High City. A skilled perimeter defender who averaged 10.1 points per game and shot 40.6 percent on three-pointers, Caldwell-Pope will head to an improving Orlando Magic team that is coming off its first playoff trip since 2020.
The new contract represents a steep pay raise for Caldwell-Pope, who earned $14.7 million last season and turned down a $15.4 million player option to become an unrestricted free agent.
Magic star Paolo Banchero said in May that he hoped the team would add shooting this off-season, and the 31-year-old Caldwell-Pope will fill that void while fitting into an Orlando team that ranked first in defensive efficiency last season. The Magic went 47-35 last season — their best record since 2010-11 — before losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.
Denver, which saw its title defense end with a second-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, will enter next season with a hole in what had been an exceptional starting lineup. The Nuggets’ starting group of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. and Caldwell-Pope posted a plus-13.6 net rating in 958 minutes together last season. Given the Nuggets’ limited flexibility to add talent this summer, Coach Michael Malone will likely turn to backup Christian Braun as Caldwell-Pope’s replacement next season. Braun, 23, was a first-round pick in the 2022 draft.