After all, the top 3D Pope still chose to leave the Nuggets and pursue more wealth. Woj, Shams, Haynes and many other celebrities jointly reported that the Magic signed free agent Pope on a three-year, $66 million contract, and got the coveted championship puzzle, and the team's outside offense and defense level up a notch. Although players such as Banchero and Wagner have top-level combat power, their projection ability on the three-point line has not reached the state of top shooters. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the projection ability of the back line in order to maximize the offensive value of the core players.
With Pope, it also means that Klay will most likely not join this team, and the Magic withdrew from the Klay race.
As a two-time champion, Pope has won championships with the Lakers and Nuggets, and is a very rare top 3D in the league - he can open up space as a shooter and become a top defender on the outside. In the 23-24 season, Pope played 76 regular season games for the Nuggets, averaging 10.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game with a very high attendance rate, and a three-point shooting rate of 40.6%. With such a stable performance, it is naturally reasonable to get an annual salary of $22 million, after all, Anunoby's annual salary is almost $40 million.
After losing Pope, the Nuggets' outside offensive and defensive capabilities fell again, and the team was eliminated by the Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals last season, and the championship was in vain. Now, without the top-tier 3-and-D man, Jokic has once again lost a strong player by his side.
Pope also had a $15.4 million player option on his last contract, but he chose to jump out of his contract and become a free agent, not for the sake of winning a championship, but for material rewards. From his point of view, he already has two championship rings in his career, and he is now 31 years old, so one more championship or one less championship will not affect him personally, but the size of the new contract will naturally affect the amount of his personal wealth.
In just two seasons, the Nuggets team has lost two championship members, Brown and Pope, and the brain drain is extremely serious. Maybe this is the fate of the small ball, after winning the championship, the value of the players has also risen, and they naturally have to go to places with more income.
However, Nuggets management still wants to continue to strengthen, according to a report from Fischer, the Nuggets have coveted veteran Saric for some time; Another reporter, Shams, also followed up and reported that the Nuggets are considering bringing in Wei Shao, and both sides are interested in each other, and the Clippers also want to trade Wei Shao.
Now, the core lineup of the current team is Murray, Porter Jr., Gordon, Jokic, and the top starting five tigers have lost Pope, the top 3D, and someone must be on top of his position, so who will it be? From the point of view of technology and playing style, it must be similar to Pop, so that it can be seamless.