Former Nuggets Star's Unexpected Admission On Playoff Battle With Lakers, LeBron James

Securing the biggest bag possible in free agency was no doubt the primary reason for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's defection from the Denver Nuggets this summer.

Also explaining the veteran shooting guard's decision to bail on the 2023 NBA champions, though? The lack of "gas" Denver had at its disposal while defending that title, a reality Caldwell-Pope and his former teammates believed put them at real risk of falling to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.

"I feel like that's where we spent most of our energy and our time, trying to get that first place [in the West]. Playing catchup," Caldwell-Pope said on "The Draymond Green Show ." " We get to the playoffs, shiii...We have no gas, you know? We felt like the Lakers should've beat us."

The Nuggets earned the two-seed in the Western Conference playoffs in 2023-24 despite their pointed efforts to finish atop the regular-season standings. A first-round rematch of the 2023 Western Conference Finals awaited, with Denver and Los Angeles once again squaring off on the postseason stage.

The Lakers were much more competitive this time around, losing double-digit leads in each of their losses while falling to the Nuggets in five games. Denver needed a pair of Jamal Murray buzzer-beaters to fend off an upset from LeBron James and company, too.

Los Angeles enters 2024-25 with largely the same flawed roster its had the past two seasons. Denver, meanwhile, is tasked with re-grouping from the loss of Caldwell-Pope, a former two-way stalwart in the backcourt who signed with the Orlando Magic as a free agent.

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