Keeler: Nuggets’ Christian Braun wasn’t Bruce Brown. He’s not Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, either. If Nuggs let KCP walk, they’ll regret it

Christian Braun of the Denver Nuggets puts in work against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second quarter at Ball Arena in Denver on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Which is why I have far more sympathy for the Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth than Chris MacFarland, his compatriot with the Avalanche, as they try to sort out the rubble this summer and make sense of where their respective seasons went wrong.

Look, neither option’s ideal. KCP’s aging. Braun’s ascending. You could make a case that letting Caldwell-Pope walk and simply sliding CB into that slot is both a natural, inevitable progression and smart business. Especially given how pinched the Nuggets are for flexibility with all of the future money already due Jokic, Jamal Murray, MPJ and Aaron Gordon.

If you let KCP walk and move CB up, you better darn well have a proven veteran shooter in your back pocket to slot into coach Michael Malone’s bench. Or two. More proven than Reggie Jackson, at any rate. He’s smart, long, hungry and a serial winner. But is he an upgrade on KCP in Malone’s rotation, right now?, posted a 109.3 Defensive Rating per 100 possessions during the regular season in ’23-24, while KCP put up a 111.0.

KCP still does that last part better. Yes, Braun’s coming around. But if you’re Booth, how long can you afford to wait for the next corner to turn? Because the window won’t.Michael Malone on Nuggets’ Game 7 loss: “Did I run our players into the ground? I’m sure that’s definitely part of it”

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