Did the Orlando Magic make a better Arron Afflalo trade?
By Carson Ingle
The Denver Nuggets just turned Arron Afflalo around after their summer swap with the Magic, but who got more out their deal?
While a crazy NBA Trade Deadline sent basketball fans into a frenzy with 11 trades last Thursday, one particular deal stuck out for those that follow the Orlando Magic.
Former Orlando guard Arron Afflalo was traded for the second time in the past year, this time heading from the Denver Nuggets to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Afflalo was brought in to bolster Portland’s playoff roster, but it is more interesting for the Magic observer to compare the haul that Denver received to the package Orlando originally got for the veteran player.
The original makeups of both deals are as follows:
Even though it was fairly clear that Afflalo was not part of the Magic’s future plans, many were initially skeptical of the assets Orlando received. Evan Fournier has proven to be a serviceable player, averaging 12 points in just less than 29 minutes per game this season.
At times early in the season, he carried the offense in the absence of Victor Oladipo and, at the age of 22, he has plenty of room for growth. He likely profiles as a rotational piece for Orlando going forward and someone capable of providing badly needed scoring depth.
That 56th overall pick from Denver in this summer’s draft turned into rookie Devyn Marble. Marble has floated up and down from the D-League this season and it remains unclear what his NBA future looks like.
He could potentially develop into a defensive specialist and has even started games for the Magic during some of Jacque Vaughn‘s more peculiar rotational iterations.
The deal also cleared around $6 million in cap space, something general manager Rob Hennigan has always actively looked to do during this rebuild.
Now let’s see what the Nuggets got for Afflalo:
Much like when the Orlando-Denver deal was consummated, this trade has sparked mixed reaction from the Nuggets faithful. Both Victor Claver and Thomas Robinson were bought out, so they will have no impact for Denver.
Giving up Alonzo Gee was a small add-on that should have little negative impact in the short-term for the Nuggets and none long-term.
Will Barton is an intriguing player who played sparingly in parts of three seasons with the Blazers. He does possess a significant arsenal of skills for a former second round pick and will be given a chance even in a muddied Denver wing rotation to make an impact.
Ultimately, the team that will be awarded for making the better Afflalo trade will come down to what the Nuggets get out of the pick they acquired. The selection is lottery protected in 2016 and 2017 and will become two 2018 second rounders if it does not get collected by then.
With a young core headlined by Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge, Denver will likely get that lower first-rounder in 2016 (the Blazers are slated to pick 27th). Fournier was the 20th pick in 2012, so on the surface, the Nuggets could end up getting a similar talent.
If Denver GM Tim Connelly drafts wisely, the Nuggets will likely end up getting more out of Afflalo. However, Orlando already has the assets from their transaction on the roster and have made out fairly well.
Call it incomplete for now, pending on the Nuggets use of that late first round pick.