Nuggets assistant GM Tommy Balcetis after Denver loses KCP: 'We still have the best player in the world'

DENVER — There wasn’t much Denver 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 a 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,” he said. “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 had 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.”

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