The two-time champion scorer is still unpopular, the team sent it away in the first round, why did you fall so quickly

For any championship team, the shooter is a very critical part of the lineup, especially those 3D that can also contribute to the defensive end. Such players can be said to be an indispensable configuration in a strong team. For example, the Thunder, who shined this season, were able to win 68 wins in the regular season and successfully reach the finals. In addition to the positions of several leading stars, there is also the help of role players like Dort. For example, when Dort was fierce in defense, he averaged 2.4 three-pointers per game with a shooting rate of 41.2% on the offensive end, and averaged 2.1 three-pointers per game with a shooting rate of 35% in the playoffs.

and the card that broke out this year's playoffs. Russo, he averaged only 7.1 points per game in the regular season, and he could only average 1.1 three-pointers per game with a shooting rate of 35.3%. As a result, Caruso suddenly got to the point of attack in the playoffs. He averaged 1.8 three-pointers per game with a shooting rate of 43.2%, which significantly improved both efficiency and output. Because of this, Caruso also scored 20 points twice in the finals, and the Thunder won both games, so in the end they really won the championship, and Caruso's shooting explosion was definitely an indelible contribution.

And even if you don't say it too far, just look at the championship teams over the past few years, there is no shortage of shooters with both offense and defense in their lineup. For example, White of the Celtics in 2024, Thompson of the Warriors in 2022, and another shooter who helped the team win the championship in 2020 and 2023 respectively. Then this player is the famous "Xing Mamba" Caldwell Pope. He was previously an indispensable part of the team's championship lineup in the Lakers and the Nuggets.

When Pope helped the Lakers win the championship in the 2020 playoffs, he averaged 10.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1 steal per game, while he averaged 2.1 three-pointers with a shooting rate of 37.8%. And at that time, Pope was a very critical outside defender in the team. He was especially good at squeezing screens. Therefore, when he led the goal guard, he performed very well. Coupled with his good height and wingspan and top-level cutting awareness, he could always effectively interfere with his opponent.

However, after the Lakers lost to the Suns in the first round in 2021, the management decided to reorganize the lineup, so Pope was used as a bargaining chip for Westbrook and sent it to the Wizards, which has become the most failed operation of the Lakers management in recent years. After joining the Wizards, Pope's performance was still as outstanding as ever, but since this team had no hope of winning, he could not fully play his role here.

But obviously other teams can see Pope's potential, so many strong teams were interested in him in 2022, and finally the Nuggets became Pope's new next home in the offseason in 2022, and here he was able to teach his teammates some experience in winning the championship. In the 2022-2023 season, Pope firmly started the Nuggets. In the playoffs, he averaged 10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He averaged 1.8 three-pointers with a 38% shooting rate. At the same time, he still had a stable performance on the defensive end. With his help, the Nuggets successfully took revenge on the Lakers. You should know that in 2020, the latter eliminated them in the Western Conference Finals, and the Nuggets finally won the championship.

In the two championships, Pope was very useful in both offense and defense. In fact, in addition to three-pointers and defense, his mid-range and fast attack were also better than many players of the same type. During the Nuggets period, the team arranged many tactics for him to take action at mid-range.

In the 2023-2024 season, although Pope's performance showed some ups and downs, overall he is still worthy of his starting position. He averaged 10.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game in the regular season, and he averaged 1.6 three-pointers with a shooting rate of 40.6%. However, the Nuggets' overall lineup has declined significantly, so they failed to defend their title in the 2024 playoffs and stopped in the Western Conference semi-finals. During this period, Pope's personal performance was not ideal, and he averaged only 8.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.5 three-pointers (32.7% from the outside).

By the offseason, Pope became a complete free agent, but there was no salary space anymore. They obviously couldn't keep him. Although Pope's performance in the 2024 playoffs is average, considering his past resume, there are still many teams who are willing to give him high salaries, especially those young teams who are on the verge of the playoffs and want to go further. They are more eager to get experienced veterans like Pope.

So at the age of 30, Pope still signed the largest contract with Magic for three years and 66 million. After he reached Magic's offer, he did not hesitate at all. At the beginning, although many people thought that the Magic's offer was a bit too high, when they thought that their constipated attack really required a shooter like Pope, they could understand their urgent desire to strengthen their mood, but what people didn't expect was that Pope would actually decline so quickly.

Pop can only contribute 8.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game in the regular season, and his outside shooting percentage is as low as 34.2%, and he can only make 1.5 three-pointers per game. Among them, his three-point shooting percentage is also a new low since the 2015-2016 season. In this case, Pope naturally failed to improve the offensive problems of the Magic. Their offensive efficiency and average score per game in the regular season can only rank at the bottom of the league, with 31.8% shooting percentage at the bottom..

When facing the Celtics in the playoffs, Pope's offense was completely defeated, with only 5 points and 1.4 three-pointers per game, and his shooting percentage and three-point shooting percentage were as low as 26.7% and 26.1% respectively. Therefore, the team was swept 1-4 by the opponent's gentleman. There are about two reasons why Pope has declined so quickly. First, he is getting older and falling is definitely an inevitable thing. Then, second, the Magic's offensive environment is no better than that of the Nuggets. The latter has Jokic's team. He is the biggest bonus to role players in active service. Finally, it is third. Pope's mentality will inevitably relax after getting a big contract, which undoubtedly accelerates his decline.

This way, Pope's contract is obviously more premium, so after the Magic season ended, everyone knew that he would be put on the trading shelves, but what was surprising was that in the end the team actually sent away four first rounds and one first round swap in the deal that sent him away.

While sending out Pope in the first round, the Magic also got rid of Cole Anthony, and exchanged for Bain, who could better improve their offensive shortcomings. The latter proved healthy in the past, and he averaged 20 points per game, and he would not have any ball rights conflicts with Bancero and Wagner Jr. Therefore, if you only look at the trading logic, the Magic had no problem, mainly because they gave too many chips. In addition to the premium contracts of Pope and Cole Anthony, they also showed their mentality of wanting to win in the present. Considering the fall of the Celtics in the East, the Magic might really make some noise.