For 'Stellar' Resumé and Reputation, KCP Is a Dream Match for Magic

Orlando Magic president Jeff Weltman on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: "This is one of the most stellar guys in the league. ... In the locker room, on the bus, on the plane, in the practice facility, coaches, management, performance, everybody just raves about him."

Nathaniel Marrero | Jul 8, 2024

Denver Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) shoots the ball in the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves during game one of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Ball Arena. / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO — When the Orlando Magic set out for their most important offseason in recent years, few players fit their strategic vision like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

"We had admired KCP from afar for quite a while," Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman said recently. "I think much of the league has. KCP to me is a basketball guy's basketball guy. He doesn't have sexy stats, he's not a high scorer, but for the stats that I have in my mind about playing those minutes on championship teams, the fact that he's a 97th-percentile difficulty matchup defensively, so he guards the other team's best player 97 percent of the time, those are the stats that excite guys like us. He's been a coveted free agent throughout this whole process. We latched on early and we were thrilled to engage in a serious conversation."

The three-year $66 million deal with Caldwell-Pope adds to the Magic roster a player with:

experience (11 years, two NBA titles);
shooting range (40 percent or better from beyond the arc in three of his past four seasons);
defensive flexibility; and
availability (69 or more games played in every season).

In the 2022-23 season, KCP led the Denver Nuggets in minutes played and games started en route to their first championship in franchise history.

Beyond the stats, Weltman also spoke highly of Caldwell-Pope's character and his impact on his teammates.

"In the NBA, we all generate track records," Weltman said. "We do business with one another again and again. There are only 30 teams and players generate their own track records. Every organization they touch, they leave a trail of people that everybody else talks to in their wake. This is one of the most stellar guys in the league as far as the reputation he's generated over the course of his career. In the locker room, on the bus, on the plane, in the practice facility, coaches, management, performance, everybody just raves about him."

KCP's defensive prowess also aligns with a Magic team that was second in defensive rating and fourth in points allowed per game last season. Caldwell-Pope, who ranked 14th in blocked shots and 16th in steals last season, now pairs up in the backcourt with Jalen Suggs, an NBA All-Defense selection.

"(Caldwell-Pope) really strengthens our DNA," Weltman said. "We're trying to build a team of defense-first mentality, of sacrificing togetherness, of guys who make one another better and, obviously, KCP is also a high-level shooter. He checked a lot of boxes for us."

With the fifth-youngest team in the NBA last season, the Magic have their sights set on improving on a 47-win season and advancing beyond the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs.

"I think KCP will bring championship pedigree to our team and show those guys what it's about," Weltman said. "I think one of the elements we have established here is we're a very young team, light-hearted team. We're emotional and I think KCP will show those guys how to maintain that emotion, that care for one another, but also bring a level of seriousness and when to focus in and that's part of the maturation of our team."

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