Michael Malone’s comments last night put the writing on the wall for Sean Kilpatrick. According to reports,the Nuggets will not be retaining Kilpatrick and Malone stated “I hope in the future that we’ll have a chance to work with Sean again.” Sean himself seemed to cryptically be giving hints about his impending release on twitter last night.
As documented here on Stiffs, the deck is usually stacked against players on a second 10-day contract and Kilpatrick was no different. Despite the shooting prowess he displayed in the D-League, he was only able to 23.5% from beyond the three point line while in Denver and 38% overall. Still, Kilpatrick has been a noticeable positive influence while on the bench during games and never lacked for hustle and effort while on the floor.
He still will have the opportunity to perform in the D-League All Star game in Toronto later this month and should he continue to put up the numbers he has in the D-League there is a good chance Sean will get another chance in the NBA this year. In the meantime, releasing Kilpatrick brings the Nuggets roster to 14 players, leaving them with one open spot. The flexibility could be useful with the looming trade deadline, or perhaps the Nuggets have their eye on another player who is not currently under contract in the NBA, only time will tell.
