Coming into the 2023-24 NBA season, the Orlando Magic were considered to be a talented team in the Eastern Conference but at least a couple of years away from being a legitimate force to be reckoned with.
Although the consensus was that the Magic, led by up-and-comer Paolo Banchero, was a few years away from being a playoff team in the East, Orlando shocked everyone by putting it all together last season and clinching a playoff berth as one of the higher seeds in the conference.
With the Magic proving that their time is now to contend for a title or, at the very least, be a perennial playoff team, Orlando is determined to make some roster upgrades this summer, with some big-name players linked to the franchise.
According to Matt Moore of Action Network, one of the team’s targets in NBA free agency this offseason could be Kentavious Caldwell-Pope of the Denver Nuggets via NBA Central.
“The Magic are one of the few teams in playoff contention with cap space, along with OKC. They have nearly $50 million in space to use, with Jonathan Isaac being the highest-paid player on the roster at $17 million for next season. League sources suggest the Magic are willing to offer the Warriors’ Thompson or Caldwell-Pope short-term, big-money deals starting at two years, $50 million.”
The Orlando Magic could offer Kentavious Caldwell-Pope $50M total over 2 years, per @HPbasketball
“The Magic are one of the few teams in playoff contention with cap space, along with OKC. They have nearly $50 million in space to use, with Jonathan Isaac being the highest-paid… pic.twitter.com/Qm1FUflueX
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 27, 2024
Caldwell-Pope was pivotal to the champion runs by the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA bubble in 2020 and with the Nuggets the season before last, which has made him an attractive asset as he is expected to head into free agency this summer.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Nuggets are interested in competing with other teams for his services or ready to let him walk.
The post Magic Could Reportedly Offer Nuggets Free Agent A Big Contract appeared first on The Cold Wire.