Denver Nuggets Should Strongly Consider Trading Arron Afflalo
By Keith Alrick
@Kramerica100
Getty Images
Playing mediocre basketball in the NBA simply doesn’t work, and knowing that you are mediocre is even worse. The Denver Nuggets find themselves somewhere in between those stages. Denver’s current roster can’t compete in the West, which means they need to make some moves to improve the future of the team.
The good news is that the Nuggets have a handful of players that could add value to the right team. The player that stands out the most is Arron Afflalo. The list of winning teams that need an improvement at shooting guard isn’t short, and Afflalo is one of the best available. He won’t be an issue money wise, because he only has one year left on his current contract.
The most obvious suitor for Afflalo would be the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers need a versatile wing player who can knock down open shots, something that Matt Barnes has seemingly forgotten how to do. The only issue with Los Angeles is the lack of resources they have to give up for Afflalo. The Nuggets aren’t in a spot where they just want to give him away for nothing. That could lead to Denver looking elsewhere for a trade partner.
The Nuggets might want to look towards the suddenly competitive Sacramento Kings as a possible landing spot for Afflalo. Sacramento’s young shooting guards haven’t been able to hold down the starting spot. Their new owner, Vivek Ranadive, won’t be shy in pulling the trigger on bringing in a veteran player.
Adding future assets isn’t the only benefit to dealing Afflalo. The move would allow the Nuggets to give Gary Harris more playing time. The rookie shooting guard has only appeared in two games this season and has already shown glimpses of why he was a top-20 pick. Denver needs to free up room on their roster to get Harris more playing time this season.
Playing for next season three weeks into the year is a tough pill to swallow, but the sooner they accept reality the better.
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