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DENVER NUGGETS: one trade that every team should do

One Trade That Every Team Should Do

Denver gets: C Brook Lopez
Portland gets: SG/SF Arron Afflalo, PF Darrell Arthur
Brooklyn gets: C Joel Freeland, PF Victor Claver, SF Dorell Wright, Portland’s 2015 first-rounder


Finances: Lopez tends to get lumped in with teammates SG Joe Johnson and PG Deron Williams as overpaid, but those comparisons aren’t all that fair. Sure, Lopez’s contract is still quite pricey at $31.5 million total over the next two years, but for a guy who’s averaging 15.5 points on 50% shooting, while also chipping in 6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks a game, those figures aren’t so bad. Afflalo has a very reasonable contract worth $15 million over the next two years, and Arthur has an expiring $3.5 million deal. The small expiring contracts of Freeland, Claver, and Wright aren’t really of Denver’s concern in this three-team trade, as none of these players go from or to the Nuggets. Denver does take on some extra salary in this deal overall, but Lopez’s contract expires in advance of the legendary 2016 offseason.

The Fit: As the Nuggets look for more pieces to go forward with into this rebuilding process, center has to be the first position addressed. Jusuf Nurkic has promise, but if the Nuggets want an established star whose age lines up better with those of stars PG Ty Lawson and PF Kenneth Faried (27 and 25 respectively), the 26 year old is their man. Lopez is a great two-way player that can be relied upon to score down-low and anchor a defense, and Faried can make up for his lack of rebounding. Veteran pieces like Afflalo were expected to be exchanged for draft picks in an effort to stockpile them anyways, so bringing in a third team like Portland that can use a shooting guard makes sense. As opposed to trading a pick for Brook, then trading Afflalo for a pick, if you follow. Other veterans, namely SF Wilson Chandler, can be dealt for future assets from a team that has little interest in winning right away.

Why the other teams do it: Portland is in need of a scoring wing, with no reliable backup behind SG Wesley Matthews and SF Nicolas Batum. Batum’s disappointing campaign only makes this problem worse, and Afflalo is the man to help. Averaging 14.5 points and 1.5 threes per game, Afflalo could become an instant frontrunner for sixth man of the year. A contender right now, Portland has little use for the first-rounder, nor does it for any of the role players who are more than replaced by adding Arthur. For Brooklyn, they get to dump Lopez’s salary, and net a first-rounder in return. For a team that is itching to clear cap space and acquire assets with no intention to win right now, this is a perfect trade.
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