No player accorded himself with professionalism and maturity than Arron Afflalo. It was this reason that we thought entering the trade deadline the Magic should at least consider bringing back the veteran shooting guard.
That deal did not make a whole bunch of sense for the Magic with Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton already part of the team’s roster and forming the backcourt of the future.
Afflalo was miscast as a primary scorer in his time in Orlando. He dutifully did the work, nearly making an All-Star team and mentoring the young players on the roster. The Magic were looking to get he most value they could for the veteran before cashing in on him.
They did that on Draft Night in getting Evan Fournier and the rights to Devyn Marble.
The Nuggets certainly expected to be more involved in the Playoff race and eventually opted to move Afflalo.
So who got the better end of the Afflalo deals separated by about half a year? It might still be too early to tell, but the basic numbers say the Magic did.
It appears Afflalo did not significantly increase his value through this season. It is too early to tell whether the Magic got the better end of their Afflalo deal than the Nuggets. Maybe waiting for Thomas Robinson would have been worth it, but he has been passed around the league already and he is still on his rookie contract.
Call it a wash then. Rob Hennigan got the value he wanted.
Next: KG goes home