Kentavious Caldwell-Pope credits superagent Rich Paul for engineering the trade that brought him to Denver. The Nuggets acquired the shooting guard from the Wizards, giving Caldwell-Pope — who won it all with the Lakers three years ago — another shot at a title, Michael Singer of the Denver Post writes.
“It was a breath of fresh air,” he said. “I got a chance to compete for a championship again. Just knowing this team from playing them, I knew what we had and what I was coming into.”
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- The Nuggets held training camp in San Diego and look back at those days as their beginning of their championship run. They forged chemistry during those days, leading to trust and unselfishness on the court, according to Harrison Wind of TheDnvr.com. “I could tell from Day 1 of training camp in San Diego that this group was going to be special,” coach Michael Malone said.
- Illinois State wing Seneca Knight and North Carolina State guard Jarkel Joiner will work out for the Jazz on Thursday, Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune reports. Knight averaged 12.3 points and 5.9 rebounds last season, while Joiner averaged 17.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists.
- The Suns may look to deal center Deandre Ayton and the Jazz have been mentioned as a potential landing spot. With Walker Kessler entering his second season after a strong rookie campaign, Walden explains why there’s no reason for Utah to expend draft capital on Ayton.