After the Denver Nuggets and the NBA wrapped up the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, General manager Calvin Booth addressed local media about the draft selection of Dayton center DaRon Holmes II and other offseason topics.

One of those important topics was a question asked by yours truly, asking for an update on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope contract negotiations and if the new Collective Bargaining Agreement and the Second Tax Apron are affecting those discussions.

It was a very interesting response from Booth with some inflammatory comments about Caldwell-Pope and his potential replacement: Christian Braun.

Here’s the full question and answer transcript:

Blackburn: “You mentioned the starting lineup and having all of those guys together, having a very expensive starting lineup. We’ve talked about the limitations that the CBA has presented. Has that changed your perspective or shaped your perspective on making sure to retain KCP vs different pathways that are obviously limited even if you lose him?

Booth: “Yeah, I think we have to look at everything, and the nature of free agency: he’s unrestricted, so we can try to bring him back, but if he wasn’t want to come back or chooses to go somewhere else, that’s his prerogative.

“We’ll have to work with that, but I think we’re prepared to plug-and-play so to speak. I think when you look at some of the teams that have been good in the past, they have to find a way to replace fourth, fifth starters, sixth man off the bench, and still keep rolling. It would be nice if he’s back.

“They have a lot of continuity together, but I think all the stuff I’ve looked at, all the lineup stuff, Christian Braun is one of the best net rating guys in the league, as is KCP. If [Braun] is to step into the starting lineup like probably projected, I think we’ll be okay if KCP doesn’t return.”

One of the defining traits of Calvin Booth in his time in the NBA is that he’s honest. He will tell you what he thinks and won’t beat about the bush on things. It’s a refreshing change of pace from how GMs normally operate in complete secrecy. Hell, the entire NBA knew the Nuggets were going to get Holmes in the draft if they could.

Booth may be honest to a fault though in cases like these. He’s a great talent and impact evaluator, and if he believes the Nuggets can replace Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with Christian Braun, I believe him. The lineup data doesn’t lie in that regard either. During the last two years, regular season and playoffs, the Nuggets put up a +10.8 Net Rating in 672 minutes that Braun and Nikola Jokic shared the floor together without Caldwell-Pope. With Caldwell-Pope and Jokic on the floor and Braun off, they produced +9.5 Net Rating in over 4,500 minutes.

The sample size is not large, but I understand why Calvin Booth is willing to trust Christian Braun in a larger role. Going from his second to his third season having played over 3,200 minutes across the regular season and playoffs, Braun has shown a defined skill set as a smart, defensive-minded wing with a growing offensive game. Obviously, nobody wants Caldwell-Pope to walk away, but the second tax apron is an absolute killer, and the Nuggets can’t just ignore it.

So, will the Nuggets do nothing to replace Caldwell-Pope beyond allowing Braun to start in his place? Unclear. If Caldwell-Pope does walk away, the Nuggets can duck the second tax apron and regain a bit of flexibility. They can aggregate salaries in a trade, and they gain access to the taxpayer mid-level exception. Denver would still need to execute the right signings in free agency and convince the right team to trade them the right player.

That won’t be easy, and the Nuggets don’t have an exorbitant number of assets at their disposal beyond a distant 2031 first round pick. Still, there are players they can add. I wrote about several of them in this column here.

Whatever the Nuggets decide to do, it appears they’re committed to the process of adding young players to eventually assume the responsibilities currently held by the veterans. Time will tell if that’s the right course of action.

It appears that Nuggets fans should brace themselves for the impending departure of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.