Trade Implications: Denver
The news that Denver Nuggets fans have been dreading, yet expecting, to hear for weeks finally came on Monday night, roughly 24 hours after the end of the 2011 All-Star game. Throughout the weekend’s festivities Carmelo Anthony looked like a man waiting for the axe to fall, and fall it did. Months of speculation, rumor and gossip ended as the Nuggets traded their prized franchise player to the New York Knicks.
In the deal, the Nuggets sent Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter and Renaldo Balkman to the Knicks along with Anthony, while receiving Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov two second-round draft picks previously belonging to the Golden State Warriors and $3 million in cash.
The first question, of course, is whether or not the Nuggets got enough back in the deal to justify giving up not just one, but two All-Stars in the trade. In this case, it seems the Nuggets made the best of a bad situation.
Raymond Felton is the most important piece of this puzzle for the Nuggets, whether he stays to continue Ty Lawson’s education or is traded on, as has been rumored. When the initial deal with the New Jersey Nets included Devin Harris, the word was that the Nuggets would turn around and send Harris elsewhere, the better to accelerate Lawson’s emergence as the Nuggets floor leader of the future. Considering Felton’s fresh new contract, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them continue that plan with Felton rather than Harris. There are several teams looking to deal for a point guard before Thursday’s deadline, with the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers perhaps the most likely/eager to make a deal.
Whether Felton stays or goes, he was a solid acquisition for the Nuggets.
{AUTHOR_BOX}The next most important piece for the Nuggets is Danilo Gallinari, who will step into Anthony’s starting spot right away. While he’s a far cry from Anthony, but he’s a young player with upside who has gotten progressively better in each of his two-plus seasons.
Wilson Chandler is playing for a contract, and desperately needs a big pay day next season as much as anything else. There’s some doubt about how willing his business folks will be to let him re-sign in Denver, though as a restricted free agent he won’t have much say in the matter. Assuming he stays, Chandler would seem to be the heir apparent to J.R. Smith, serving as the Nuggets’ sixth man in relief of Arron Afflalo, who is also set to be a restricted free agent.
The Nuggets also get Timofey Mozgov, a promising center who has been able to find a role in Mike D’Antoni’s rotation. Considering the rumors that the Nuggets will now deal Nene Mozgov could be helping Chris Andersen hold down the middle for George Karl in the very near future.
On the one hand, the Nuggets would like to say this is a move that doesn’t take them out of the playoff picture. They’re not blowing it up, they’re just retooling in the light of a trade they were forced to make. Sadly, that is very unlikely to be the case. The smart money says the Nuggets are just getting started, and that Nene and Al Harrington, perhaps even J.R. Smith, will all evaporate in subsequent deals over the next couple of days.
Update: Denver will also receive center Kosta Koufos from the Wolves and send back a 2015 second-round pick.
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