It’s not even July yet.
In the first of two homecomings, Sam Amick of USA TODAY Sports reports that the Orlando Magic have sent shooting guard Arron Afflalo to the Denver Nuggets for Evan Fournier and the No. 56 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
This will be Afflalo’s second stint with the Nuggets after playing three seasons in Denver from 2009 to 2012.
As for Fournier, the 21-year-old will enter an Orlando backcourt that should provide more playing time than Denver’s.
During his three seasons in Denver, Afflalo developed into one of the game’s better defensive guards. He earned his stripes by holding his own defensively against star shooting guards such as Kobe Bryant, all the while maintaining one of the best three-point field goal percentages in the NBA.
Offensively, Afflalo’s scoring average has increased in every one of his seven seasons. This past season, the 28-year-old scored a career-best 18.2 points per game on a slash line of .459/.427/.815.
Two-way players are tough to come by, and Afflalo is one of the best at his position in that regard.
Fournier saw 19.8 minutes per contest in 76 appearances during the 2013-14 season. He finished with averages of 8.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists on 37.6 percent shooting from three-point range.
The jury is still out on what type of player he’ll become, but Fournier has upside as a scorer. When he finds his rhythm, Fournier can light it up from beyond the arc or attack off of the bounce by using his 6’6″ frame overpower smaller defenders.
What this comes down is Denver improving immediately and Orlando continuing to build a bright future. A case could be made that Orlando could’ve received more for Afflalo, a two-way player in the prime of his career, but general manager Rob Hennigan has made the most of under-the-radar acquisitions in the past (see: Harris, Tobias).
That’s just one of three trades that managed to shake up the Western Conference.
Tyson Chandler Returns to Mavericks
The draft hasn’t even started and franchise-altering moves are already being made.
As first reported by Marc Stein of ESPN, the New York Knicks have traded Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to the Dallas Mavericks. In return, New York receives Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert, Wayne Ellington, Shane Larkin and the No. 34 and No. 51 picks in the 2014 NBA Draft.
The key name in this deal is 2012 Defensive Player of the Year award-winner Tyson Chandler. He was plagued by injuries in 2013-14, but Chandler is an All-Star center whose impact defensively ranges beyond a stat sheet.
Then there’s that thing about Chandler anchoring the Mavericks’ defense during its run to the 2011 NBA Championship.
Dallas clearly hopes that re-acquiring Chandler will give Rick Carlisle the piece in the middle that he’s missed in recent pursuits of glory.
As for New York, this trade both creates cap space and replaces an out-of-favor player in Felton. The replacement, Calderon, is a perfect fit for the Triangle Offense.
Known for his elite shooting ability and high-level facilitating, Calderon is one of the better offensive point guards in the league. The Spaniard’s numbers took a hit in 2013-14 when he played as more of an off-ball player, but there’s no need to be concerned.
Calderon still managed to rank fifth in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage and seventh in three-point field goals made.
As for the accompanying players, Larkin has reasonable upside, Ellington can shoot and Dalembert is a very effective player when his effort is there. During the 2013-14 season, Dalembert averaged 6.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 20.2 minutes, which makes him something of a Chandler-lite.
Expect that to be exactly how the Knicks use him.
Houston Sends Omer Asik to New Orleans
This isn’t groundhog day; it’s just taken a year to get a deal done that many expected to transpire before the 2013-14 season.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Houston Rockets have agreed to send embattled center Omer Asik to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for a protected 2015 first-round draft pick. This comes after Asik requested a trade in July of 2013, only to be kept on the roster for inconsistent usage.
With the move, Asik will be given the chance to start alongside Anthony Davis in what can only be described as an elite defensive interior.
Asik held opponents to 47.7 percent shooting when he met them at the rim during the 2013-14 season. Asik also provides New Orleans three traits that it lacked a year ago: strength, physicality and the ability to crash the boards.
Asik brings his prowess on the glass to a team that ranked 22nd in total rebounding and 17th in rebound differential.
Paired with Davis, who held opponents to 48.9 percent shooting and led the league with 2.82 blocks per game, Asik will help to anchor New Orleans’ defense. He’s still very raw on offense with hands of stone, but Asik will be lessen the defensive burden on Davis, who constantly bailed his teammates out in 2013-14.
As for Houston, this deal is a clear declaration that it will be pursuing a superstar this summer. Whether that be Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James or another name that has yet to emerge, the Rockets made a finance-minded trade with free agency just around the corner.
The Rockets have already declined Chandler Parsons’ club option. That move had a minimal financial impact, but it suggests Houston is preparing to hand big money to a player at small forward.
The race for Carmelo and LeBron heats up in Houston.
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