There wasn’t much Nuggets assistant general manager Tommy Balcetis was authorized to say when asked about the departure of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to Orlando in free agency, but what he did say spoke volumes about the defining storyline of this entire NBA offseason.
Free agency will remain in its “moratorium” period for several more days before Caldwell-Pope’s new three-year contract with the Orlando Magic is made official, rendering it technically taboo to acknowledge. Still, Balcetis was asked Monday about the ramifications of not re-signing Caldwell-Pope during a news conference with Denver’s newest draft pick, DaRon Holmes II.
The front office executive’s answer circled the new collective bargaining agreement, and by extension the new second tax apron.
“Free agency is still happening, so nothing’s set in stone, obviously. But just in general, the NBA right now is kind of on the verge of changing just little bit because of the new regulatory changes, and the new CBA,” Balcetis said. “I think it’s going to be a fun challenge for a lot of teams. We’re trying to be ahead of it in so many ways. I think that there’s going to be missteps along the way for every team really, to kind of start to calibrate where the CBA is going to lead us.
“That’s why I think this particular free agency and draft period is a little different for everybody. Because all of a sudden, now there are going to be rules and regulations in place that are going to make teams find an edge that maybe they weren’t able to find before. … We’re trying to not just be in the mix with everybody. We’re trying to be better than everybody, and that means finding a specific edge. What that (edge) is, we’re in the room trying to figure out.”
Seemingly zero teams have figured out how to navigate the second apron yet. As ESPN analyst and former Brooklyn Nets executive Bobby Marks summarized Monday, “I’ve never experienced two words that have scared so many billionaires.”
Those words reverberated throughout the league on a major scale during the first 24 hours of free agency, influencing not just Denver’s reluctance to bring back Caldwell-Pope, but the Clippers’ refusal to offer Paul George a fourth year in contract negotiations.
The Clippers have a reputation for being among the most fearless (or reckless) spenders in the NBA, so their willingness to let George walk without even orchestrating a sign-and-trade was a loud indicator of the more quiet reality playing out in Denver: Uneasiness about the second apron transcends a luxury tax bill. Contending teams with expensive rosters are wary of the competitive consequences.
And as Balcetis outlined, every front office in the league — including Denver’s — is still trying to figure out the best course of action.
“Historically, some teams, whether it’s the international market or developing their G League guys … all of those were specific, very specific things that teams did to separate themselves from the pack a little bit. We’re going to try to get to that level as well, and what that looks like, you guys will see hopefully soon.”
The Nuggets are showing serious interest in trading for Russell Westbrook from the Clippers, a league source has confirmed to The Denver Post. But no trades or free agent signings had materialized yet in Denver after the first 24 hours of free agency. Only the loss of KCP and its accompanying sting.
As the Nuggets stood idle, the Oklahoma City Thunder signed former Denver center Isaiah Hartenstein with the significant cap space at their disposal, strengthening a team that already earned the No. 1 seed in the West last season. OKC also traded for Alex Caruso from Chicago in June.
How concerned, then, are the Nuggets with the direction of this offseason so far — that they have lost a key championship piece while other rising contenders have improved their rosters? Or are the 2023 champions comfortable with it?
“We still have the best player in the world, at the end of the day,” Balcetis said. “We have incredible pieces around him. Yes, we have to do stuff at the margins to make sure that maybe we don’t lose a game here and there, and all of a sudden our fortunes are a little different. But at the end of the day, we believe in our team, what we have. We believe in the guys who are succeeding the guys who may leave or not. And we believe in our coaching staff.”
Denver Nuggets 2024 first-round draft pick DaRon Holmes II, right, holds his jersey for a photograph with assistant general manager Tommy Balcetis during an introductory news conference at the NBA basketball team’s arena Monday, July 1, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The first Nuggets player to contact DaRon Holmes
Holmes will start to get settled in Denver this week after arriving for his introductory news conference, where coach Michael Malone and owner Stan Kroenke were among the attendees.
In what has been a whirlwind week for Holmes, he shouted out one of his young teammates.
“The first Nugget to reach out to me, and I’m gonna remember this fo the rest of my life, was Julian Strawther,” he said. “He’s the only one to really reach out so far. The rest of them, I’ve heard they’re great people, so I can’t wait to meet them. I met Hunter Tyson in the locker room.”
Holmes reiterated that he’s looking forward to learning from Nikola Jokic, “offensively and defensively,” while Balcetis complimented the first-round draft pick’s rave reviews from former coaches who were contacted by the Nuggets during the pre-draft process.
“You did a great job bribing everyone around you,” Balcetis joked to Holmes.
Related Articles
Renck: No Russellmania over Westbrook. Nuggets’ offseason reveals Calvin Booth’s margin for error has vanished.
Nuggets Podcast: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope leaves, DaRon Holmes arrives and free agency hits the NBA
Renck vs. Keeler: If Russell Westbrook replaces Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on the Nuggets roster, is that a win for Calvin Booth? Is it a win for Nuggets fans?
Nuggets are betting on Christian Braun to replace Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Can he?
Nuggets lose Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who agrees to terms with Orlando Magic in free agency, according to reports
Collin Gillespie signs with Suns
Point guard Collin Gillespie, who was on a two-way contract with Denver for two seasons out of Villanova, agreed to a two-way deal with the Phoenix Suns on Monday, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Gillespie was a G League All-Star for the Grand Rapids Gold in 2023-24, averaging close to a triple-double in the G League at 20.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 11.2 assists. He had missed the previous season due to a fractured leg but remained on the Nuggets’ roster in one of their two-way spots for the duration of his injury.
In 24 NBA games for Denver, Gillespie averaged 3.6 points and 1.1 assists.
Denver has agreed to two-way deals with Creighton’s Trey Alexander and Clemson’s PJ Hall so far this offseason, according to a source.