Former Nuggets F Michael Porter Jr. Says One Move Led to Team's 'Downfall'

Since their 2023 championship run, the Denver Nuggets have significantly retooled their roster. With the exception of five players—Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, and Zeke Nnaji—the team has completely changed.

It is hard to pinpoint which roster change hurt the Nuggets most, as they have failed to even reach the Western Conference Finals since winning it all in 2023, but Michael Porter Jr. shared his take on which move jumpstarted Denver's "downfall." In a recent Curious Mike podcast episode, the former Nuggets forward claimed that letting Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walk was their biggest mistake.

"I don't know why they let [Kentavious Caldwell-Pope] go. That was the beginning of our downfall," Porter Jr. said.

What made KCP so valuable?

Dec 1, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Through two seasons with the Nuggets, Caldwell-Pope averaged 10.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 41.5% from beyond the arc. Caldwell-Pope had two of the three most efficient seasons of his 13-year career in Denver, being the perfect glue guy who could play defense and knock down shots.

However, the Nuggets let Caldwell-Pope walk in the 2024 offseason, as he signed a generous three-year, $66 million contract with the Orlando Magic, a price point that was likely too high for Denver. It's hard to blame the Nuggets for letting Caldwell-Pope walk at that price, but Porter Jr. believes replacing him with Christian Braun changed the team's system too much.

"The thing is that we won the championship and they let Pope go. He's a vital piece. ... The thing that made us so unique when Pope was starting was that he was the defender that Christian [Braun] is, just as good, maybe better at the time, but he's a three-point threat," Porter Jr. said. "... So when they put CB in that spot, it was a little different dynamic."

Porter Jr. does falsely say the Nuggets let Caldwell-Pope go immediately after their 2023 title run, but the only key players they lost from that team were Bruce Brown and Jeff Green. They gave Caldwell-Pope one more season in Denver, and ultimately let him go once he got too expensive. Then Braun took his starting spot in the 2024-25 season, leading to a breakout year for the young guard.

A common mistake

The three biggest moves of the last 3 Nuggets offseasons:
2024: Letting KCP walk to save money
2025: Trading MPJ and a first to save money
2026: Trading Watson away for a pick to save money.

The starting lineup is too expensive AND the KSE is too cheap to pay for a better team.
— Miroslav Ćuk (@MiroslavCuk) August 20, 2026

Still, Porter Jr.'s point stands. While it might not be the loss of Caldwell-Pope specifically, the Nuggets' biggest issue recently has been their financial decisions.

Like this offseason, the Nuggets shipped Peyton Watson away to save money. For all we know, that decision could come back to bite them. Last offseason, the Nuggets traded Porter Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets to save money, even attaching a first-round pick to get off his contract.

There is still optimism that the Nuggets have what it takes to compete for a championship again, even though the team is much different from their 2023 run. However, if the organization continues to make cheap moves, they will likely feel the consequences.

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