JaVale McGee, left, and Arron Afflalo were traded by the Nuggets just hours ahead of Thursday’s deadline. (Getty Images
On Thursday, hours before the NBA’s 1 p.m. MT trading deadline, the Nuggets got busy and dealt veteran guard Arron Afflalo to Portland in exchange for players and picks, and center JaVale McGee to Philadelphia, .
The pair of the trades created nearly $19 million in traded player exceptions, giving the team some financial wiggle room to reshape its roster in the coming months. Wilson Chandler, Jameer Nelson, Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried — all of whom were mentioned as potential trade pieces — are expected to stay in Denver beyond the deadline.
The Nuggets, who, over the years, have put in a lot of money into players whose on-court performance failed to match, may be on the verge of reversing the trend. But here’s a breakdown of just how much the Nuggets sunk into the two players they just unloaded, and how much they received in return:
JaVale McGee, C
Arrival
Acquired from Washington as part of a three-team trade with the Clippers on .
Contract
Signed a on July 18, 2012.
The year-by-year breakdown:
2012-13: $10 million
2013-14: $10.75 million
2014-15: $11.25 million
2015-16: $12 million
Statistics with Nuggets
Seasons: 4
Games played: 121
Games started: 10
Games missed: 116
Minutes: 17.5 per game
Points: 8.6
FG %: 57.5 percent
FT %: 56.2 percent
Rebounds: 4.6 (2.8 DRB, 1.8 ORB)
Blocks: 1.8
Departure
Traded to Philadelphia, along with a future first-round pick, to Philadelphia on Feb. 19, 2015. The Nuggets got an $11.25 million trade exception in the deal and unloaded the $12 million remaining on the final year of the four-year contract he signed in 2012.
Arron Afflalo, G
Arrival
Acquired from Orlando for Evan Fournier and the 56th pick in the 2014 draft (Devyn Marble) .
Statistics
Seasons:
Games played: 53
Games started: 53
Games missed: 0
Minutes: 33.0 per game
Points: 14.5
FG %: 42.8 percent
3PT %: 33.7 percent
Assists: 1.9
Contract
Signed a with the Nuggets on Dec. 19, 2011, during his first stint in Denver.
The breakdown:
2014-15: $7.5 million
2015-16: $7.5 (player option)
Departure
Traded to Portland, along with Alonzo Gee, in exchange for a future first- and second-round pick, as well as Thomas Robinson, Victor Claver and Will Barton, on Feb. 19, 2015. The five-player swap gave the Nuggets a $7.5 million trade exception for future rebuilding.
*Stats and salary figures via basketball-reference.com and StatsPass.com.
