Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith to Denver for Monte Morris and Will Barton

Shams Charania: Denver is nearing trading Monte Morris and Will Barton to Washington in deal for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
Source: Twitter @ShamsCharania

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Harrison Wind @HarrisonWind
How KCP fits in the Nuggets’ offense: Swap this for a Jamal Murray-Nikola Jokic pick-and-roll. Michael Porter Jr. spacing the floor on one side. KCP, who shot 42% on catch-and-shoot 3s last season, on the other. pic.twitter.com/DIHDF97uEo – 3:31 PM Adam Mares @Adam_Mares
TRADE!!!! We are breaking down everything you need to know about the big Nuggets news.
KCP and Ish Smith join the Nuggets
End of an era for Monte and Thrill
How close are the ’22-23 Nuggets to their final form?
youtube.com/watch?v=V86-49… – 3:29 PM Chase Hughes @ChaseHughesNBCS
Taking a closer look at the nuance of what the Wizards are getting in Monte Morris and Will Barton, which needs they may address and to what degree.
Analysis of today’s Wizards-Nuggets trade: ift.tt/P4gG38E – 3:08 PM StatMuse @statmuse
Combined 2022 stats —
Barton and Morris:
27.3 PPG
7.0 RPG
8.3 APG
1.5 SPG
Caldwell-Pope and Smith:
19.5 PPG
5.6 RPG
5.7 APG
1.8 SPG
Who won the trade? pic.twitter.com/ivma1PRIzE – 1:07 PM Henry Abbott @TrueHoop
What are the Nuggets thinking trading for KCP?
IDK.
But an idea: they have relied on many small guards–Facu, Monte, Bones, Bryn, Markus.
The playoff Celtics demonstrated the power of lineups where you smallest player is Marcus Smart.
KCP is 6-5. – 1:02 PM Christos Tsaltas @Tsaltas46
On July 30, 2021 Russell Westbrook get traded to the LA Lakers. The Washington Wizards received: Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell and the 22nd overall pick of the 2021 Draft.
In less than 11 mοnths, only one player remains with the #Wizards: Kyle Kuzma – 12:54 PM Synergy Sports Tech @SynergySST
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ranked 7th in the #NBA shooting an eFG% of 62% in catch and shoot situations. Nikola Jokic created more spot up jumpers passing out of the post than all but one team last season. – 12:53 PM Michael Singer @msinger
Trade is done, source confirms.
Monte and Will to D.C. KCP and Ish to Denver.
Booth, as promised, remains aggressive. – 12:53 PM Synergy Sports Tech @SynergySST
Will Barton ranked 13th in the #NBA in transition scoring last season. Monte Morris ranked 4th in the league posting a 4.1 assist-to-turnover ratio in the half court. – 12:33 PM Wayne Cole @waynec0le
Great day for Baltimore. My guy Will Barton is coming home. My phone is blowing up; the city is so excited about this! A hometown hero is now a Washington Wizard. #PTF pic.twitter.com/Z6yLS8KrUf – 12:23 PM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
Denver’s lack of creators is worrying me after this trade.
Running a Murray/Jokic PnR & swinging the pass to Barton on the other side of the court gave DEN balance.
Now, who can create away from Jokic/Murray sets? MPJ? Gordon? KCP?
What happens if a creator gets hurt? – 12:20 PM Michael Singer @msinger
Anyone who listened to #Nuggets Ink for the past couple months knew KCP was on their list. I’d also included Monte as a possible trade candidate as tough as that was for some to believe. This trade concept didn’t come out of nowhere. – 12:07 PM Harrison Wind @HarrisonWind
Think of 2-way rookie Collin Gillespie as the new Monte Morris. That’s how Denver’s viewing him. He’s similar to who Morris was as a rookie out of Iowa State. Fifth-year senior from Villanova. Four-year starter. Ranked top-20 in assist-to-turnover ratio in NCAA last season. – 12:01 PM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
Kentavoius Caldwell-Booth has hit 371 of his 940 3-pointers over the last three years which is 39.5%.
From the corners over the last three years? KCP is hitting 42.9% of those looks. – 11:58 AM Michael Singer @msinger
As much as it pains #Nuggets to move Monte Morris, think about this. They just showcased him as a starting PG. He may or may not have been one next season alongside Jamal Murray, and Bones is coming. He had two years left on his deal. To them, he’s at his peak value now. – 11:53 AM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
Monte Morris is better than Ish Smith & even Bones Hyland right now.
KCP is a better defender & needs the ball less to score than Will Barton III.
Denver has said defense is their No.1 priority and they sacrificed to improve in that area. – 11:40 AM Ryan Blackburn @NBABlackburn
I don’t understand the national stuff. The Nuggets got better today.
Imagine Denver’s last playoff run.
Now imagine deploying KCP on any one of Steph, Poole, or Klay. – 11:40 AM Ava Wallace @avarwallace
A quick look at what Monte Morris can bring to the Wizards: washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/06… – 11:33 AM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
Nuggets depth chart right now:
Starters:
Jamal Murray
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Michael Porter Jr.
Aaron Gordon
Nikola jokic
Bench:
Ish Smith
Bones Hyland
Davon Reed*
Jeff Green
Zeke Nnaji
Reserves:
Christian Braun
Collin Gillespie
Vlatko Cancar*
Peyton Watson
*-QO tendered – 11:32 AM Harrison Wind @HarrisonWind
From draft night: The Nuggets felt Will Barton’s time in Denver was up. They wanted a defensive upgrade and better natural fit at shooting guard. The Wizards and Wes Unseld Jr. were of course interested in Monte Morris. You could feel something like this trade coming. pic.twitter.com/ZTh5svEDVr – 11:31 AM Josh Robbins @JoshuaBRobbins
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had been a regular at the Wizards’ practice facility this offseason. On a recent weekday, he was helping some of the Go-Go players during their skills workout. KCP was one of the Wizards’ most consistent all-around players last season on both ends. – 11:27 AM Gordon Gross @GMoneyNuggs
Denver HAD to get a starting-caliber wing defender who could make 3s & didn’t require a bunch of shots. KCP is that. Now AG doesn’t have to do everything & maybe some guys can be deterred from a free run into the paint. The Nuggets have the offense – more defensive roles to fill. – 11:25 AM StatMuse @statmuse
Monte Morris in his 5 seasons in Denver:
10.5 PPG
2.3 RPG
3.7 APG
48/39/83%
6th most playoff wins in franchise history
Going to Washington. pic.twitter.com/6nP1hY3Uiy – 11:22 AM Chase Hughes @ChaseHughesNBCS
In addition to being from Baltimore, MD, Will Barton played part of his HS career in Fort Washington, MD, about 5 mi. from the Wizards’ practice facility. – 11:22 AM Harrison Wind @HarrisonWind
Denver finally get its guy. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope shot 39% from 3 last season and 45% from the corners. He’s a shooting and big defensive upgrade over Will Barton. Murray-KCP-MPJ-Gordon-Jokic has the potential to be as dominant of a lineup as we’ve seen in the Jokic era. – 11:20 AM StatMuse @statmuse
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in 2022:
13.2 PPG
3.4 RPG
1.9 APG
1.1 SPG
39 3P%
Now he’s a Nugget. pic.twitter.com/MkhL0UEQUA – 11:18 AM StatMuse @statmuse
Will Barton had a good run with the Nuggets:
— 14/5/3
— 44/36/79%
— Most 3P in franchise history (804)
— Top 10 in wins by a Nuggets player
The only player to play with Jokic in every season of his career. pic.twitter.com/B4V3xMnK2v – 11:11 AM Neil Dalal @NeilDalal96
Wizards still need to add more PG depth (MLE?), but it was an important trade to rebalance
Monte Morris / ?
Bradley Beal / Corey Kispert / Johnny Davis
Will Barton / Deni Avdija
Kyle Kuzma / Rui Hachimura / Isaiah Todd
Kristaps Porzingis / Daniel Gafford / Vernon Carey Jr. – 11:08 AM StatMuse @statmuse
KCP shot 45% on corner threes in 2021-22.
Guess who’s really good at finding corner shooters? pic.twitter.com/JwcdonIAar – 11:06 AM Kurt Helin @basketballtalk
Report: Nuggets to trade Morris, Barton to Wizards for Caldwell-Pope, Smith nba.nbcsports.com/2022/06/29/rep… – 11:06 AM Bryan Kalbrosky @BryanKalbrosky
Will Barton (just traded to the Wizards) played for Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. on the Nuggets. He describes the fellow Baltimore native as:
“A great leader, someone they’re going to get behind. It’s going to be easy for those guys to rally behind him.”
https://t.co/Ffsg5GhVgF pic.twitter.com/YdPHuQKp6m – 11:05 AM Chase Hughes @ChaseHughesNBCS
Defensive real-plus minus is a stat Wizards president Tommy Sheppard has cited before and in Monte Morris (9th) and Will Barton (20th), the Wizards got two players who ranked top-20 in the NBA last season in the category. espn.com/nba/statistics… – 10:58 AM Wes Goldberg @wcgoldberg
I really like KCP in Denver. Good fit. – 10:57 AM Adam Mares @Adam_Mares
Murray-KCP-MPJ-Gordon-Jokic is very likely the best 5-man lineup of the Jokic era. – 10:56 AM Chase Hughes @ChaseHughesNBCS
Worth noting about Monte Morris: he’s one of the best PGs at limiting turnovers. He was 5th in ast/to ratio last season, his first full year as a starter. – 10:50 AM CBS NBA @CBSSportsNBA
Nuggets-Wizards trade: Denver acquires Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Ish Smith in four-player deal, per report
cbssports.com/nba/news/nugge… – 10:48 AM Chuck Cooperstein @coopmavs
Interesting trade between DEN & WAS. KCP is better (and more available) than Barton WAS knew, ultimately that Beal is not a PG. Morris most certainly is, and since he never turns over the ball, will allow his offense to maximize its opportunities. – 10:47 AM Eurohoops @Eurohoopsnet
Nuggets trading Monte Morris, Will Barton for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Ish Smith
eurohoops.net/en/nba-news/13… – 10:44 AM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Quick thought on DEN-WAS deal:
-DEN needed another wing defender and KCP can shoot.
-Morris is a loss for DEN but Bones should be ready for more minutes & Ish is a great third PG
-WAS gets their needed PG. Love Morris there.
-Barton gives them some wing scoring on or off bench – 10:44 AM John Karalis @John_Karalis
OK, so 30% of the podcast was blown up by the KCP trade to Denver… but what really got a big reaction from @Tom Westerholm is my take on who Will Hardy could poach from Boston’s coaching staff to blow the C’s up in a couple of years:
youtu.be/FGC8CTTgBO0 – 10:43 AM Adam Mares @Adam_Mares
Monte Morris was a fantastic Nugget. 51st pick. Spent his first year in the G-league grinding. Made an immediate impact the following season.
“Mr. Nugget” from 2020-2022. Great teammate, as reliable a backup pg as they come, and seemed to love the city. Fan favorite. – 10:43 AM Michael Singer @msinger
This was a particularly difficult move for the #Nuggets to include Monte Morris, who they value on the court and in the locker room. He held down the ship when Jamal was out last season and proved he could be a starting point guard in the NBA. – 10:42 AM Ava Wallace @avarwallace
This strikes me as a very Wizards deal. Will Barton, a Baltimore native, is a capable wing. 14.7 ppg, shot 36.5% from three last season. – 10:36 AM Gordon Gross @GMoneyNuggs
Monte Morris. Baller. Team leader. Took all the new guys under his wing. A lot more than backup PG on his resume, and I hope his next steps flourish in the league. Denver will miss him – these are the hard things teams have to do to pursue a title. Hopefully it’s the right thing. – 10:35 AM Gordon Gross @GMoneyNuggs
Will Barton had incredibly bad injury luck the past few years after what had been a remarkably healthy career. I wish he could have been at full strength for these Denver playoff runs – it would have made a huge difference. Hope he has a great year in Washington. – 10:33 AM Michael Singer @msinger
The Monte Morris and Will Barton trade to Washington for KCP and Ish Smith is not finalized, per a league source. – 10:33 AM Ava Wallace @avarwallace
The Wizards get a competent point guard in Monte Morris.
Morris is 27, can defend, has history with Wes Unseld Jr. in Denver, gives the Wiz another option at the 3. He’s due just over $9M this season. – 10:33 AM Quinton Mayo @RealQuintonMayo
Have seen this in my mentions:
Could Will Barton be rerouted somewhere else for another guard?
Possibly. – 10:32 AM Chris Miller @cmillsnbcs
Can confirm @Washington Wizards have traded for Monte Morris and Will Barton from Denver. The Nuggets will receive KCP and Ish Smith. Wizards got their starting PG and a two way player in Baltimore native Barton. First reported by @Shams Charania – 10:32 AM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
Monte Morris was one of the most professional guys I have covered. Completely down to earth and fully about the work it takes to win.
He is as good as it gets for a backup point guard in the NBA and can start on many teams. Washington got a good one. – 10:28 AM Christos Tsaltas @Tsaltas46
Tommy Sheppard pushed the button again. Monte Morris can solve the main issue at PG position and Barton is able to scoring from distance. At the same time the Wizards did improvements and shows to Bradley Beal the direction they want to go. #Wizards
sdna.gr/mpasket/980234… – 10:27 AM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
One underlying aspect of this KCP/Ish Smith for Barton/Morris:
It seems Denver is betting on Bones Hyland as their backup point guard going into a championship-or-bust season. – 10:26 AM David Aldridge @davidaldridgedc
Nuggets get a veteran 3 and D in KCP and a well-seasoned (!) backup point in Smith, while Washington addresses its massive starting PG hole w/Morris, who just turned 27, and who Wes Unseld, Jr., knows well from their time in Denver. Barton is a solid backup for Bradley Beal. – 10:24 AM Quinton Mayo @RealQuintonMayo
Contract notes:
Will Barton: Expiring contract, $14.3M
Monte Morris: 2/$18.9 remaining – 10:23 AM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
Will Barton III is from Baltimore so with his trade to the Wizards, he is heading as close to home as possible.
Good to see the Nuggets do right by him after he gave everything he could to Denver. He was the emotional heartbeat of this roster for most of his tenure. – 10:22 AM Chase Hughes @ChaseHughesNBCS
In Monte Morris, the Wizards get a solid starting PG who is 27, can defend and is a career 39.4% shooter from 3.
Will Barton has long been a reliable two-way wing, not unlike KCP whom he was traded for. Both players, of course, have a history with Wes Unseld Jr. – 10:21 AM Emiliano Carchia @Sportando
Nuggets trade Morris and Barton to Wizards for Caldwell-Pope and Smith sportando.basketball/en/nuggets-tra… – 10:21 AM The Vertical @YahooSportsNBA
The Nuggets are close to finalizing a trade to send Monte Morris and Will Barton to the Wizards for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith, per @Shams Charania. pic.twitter.com/gxsh1RJnyw – 10:20 AM Jake Madison @NOLAJake
Noted Pelicans killer Will Barton – 10:19 AM Michael Singer @msinger
#Nuggets are nearing a trade to send Will Barton to Washington for KCP and Ish Smith, source confirms to @denverpost as ESPN and Athletic first reported. – 10:18 AM Adam Mares @Adam_Mares
Let’s see if there are any added pieces but I like this trade for Denver a lot. Nuggets get a major upgrade in defense at SG with KCP. Ish can play alongside Bones in the second unit. Also on an expiring. And could see Braun compete for those minutes later in the season. – 10:16 AM Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn
Washington is finalizing a trade to acquire Denver’s Will Barton and Monte Morris for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith, sources tell ESPN. – 10:15 AM Shams Charania @ShamsCharania
Denver is nearing trading Monte Morris and Will Barton to Washington in deal for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. – 10:12 AM Chase Hughes @ChaseHughesNBCS
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s 2022-23 salary of $14M becomes fully guaranteed today. He was previously guaranteed about $4.9M, but by not being waived that number goes up to $14M on what will be the final year of his deal. – 12:24 AM

More on this storyline

Adrian Wojnarowski: Trade is done: Washington is acquiring Denver’s Will Barton and Monte Morris for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith, sources tell ESPN. -via Twitter @wojespn / June 29, 2022 Adrian Wojnarowski: Washington is finalizing a trade to acquire Denver’s Will Barton and Monte Morris for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith, sources tell ESPN. Yossi Gozlan: Wizards need to throw in another small salary to have this trade executed before the end of June. Doing so would allow Denver to generate a $15.6M trade exception by sliding Ish Smith into the $8.2M JaMychal Green trade exception. Nuggets are just $1M under tax with 11 players. Wizards will be roughly $11M below the tax with 12 players assuming they re-sign Bradley Beal to a maximum contract. -via Twitter @YossiGozlan / June 29, 2022 David Aldridge: KCP’s 2021-22 salary of $14 million became fully guaranteed Tuesday- if he’d been waived before then, he’d have only counted $4.88 against the cap-making his inclusion in a trade for Washington much more likely. -via Twitter @davidaldridgedc / June 29, 2022 Neil Dalal: Monte Morris has two years left on his current contract at $9.1 and $9.8 million, Will Barton is entering a free agency season with a $14.4 million expiring contract. -via Twitter @NeilDalal96 / June 29, 2022