Denver Nuggets: Arron Afflalo Set To Be First Trade Domino

It’s been great having you again Arron Afflalo, and thanks for giving us your best shot in your comeback half-season with the Denver Nuggets.

Yes, it’s already time to say goodbye to our old friend, Arron Afflalo. After trading youngster Evan Fournier for Afflalo this past offseason, the Nuggets have only won 20 of 53 games and failed to live up to expectations. Now the Nuggets and general manager Tim Connelly are lining up trade offers for the veteran shooting guard.

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Connelly appears to be vetting teams against each other in their quest for the capable scorer, and with six days before the trade deadline Connelly needs to seal the deal on acquiring a first-round pick for Arron no matter how he does it. It would mark his third acquired pick this season, as the first two came in the Timofey Mozgov deal, and it would be a big step in proving that Connelly’s the right man for the rebuilding job.

Afflalo’s departure would start the impending destruction of the Nuggets roster perfectly. It’s time to rebuild after this horrendous first half of the 2014-15 season, and now it’s Connelly’s job to compile more than just three first round picks to start construction on a new playoff-ready team.

Connelly did well in the Mozgov deal. He held off on pulling the trigger until he got the deal the Nuggets wanted – two first round picks. But Connelly was brought in to bring the Nuggets to the second round of the playoffs, not to rebuild. Will the GM be able to show the same reserve with trade deadline pressure looming, his hand-picked coach close to a pink-slip, and with Denver citizens losing more interest in the Nuggets by the day?

Diehard Nuggets fans everywhere have their fingers crossed.

The best haul Connelly can bring in for the new Nuggets (and his struggling coach Brian Shaw) remains Brook Lopez. The star center will allow the team to finally commit to a slower, inside-out offensive pace. Lopez would help shore up the defense with a big who can prevent easy buckets, and he would give Jusuf Nurkic Remains As Only Positive” href=”http://hoopshabit.com/2015/02/11/denver-nuggets-jusuf-nurkic-remains-positive/” target=”_blank”>promising rookie Jusuf Nurkic a perfect mentor — despite the risk Lopez leaves town after his contract expires.

But Connelly has more than just Afflalo at his disposal now that the team is in full rebuild mode, and with the NBA trade deadline bound to create a myriad of opportunities it’s clear Connelly will have a couple of options. The GM needs to be bold, he needs to put the past season and a half in the rearview mirror for fans, and only a Lopez-sized deal will do the trick – no matter if it’s five first round picks or the star center coming to Denver.

Failing means Connelly’s seat is bound to get as hot as Shaw’s.

Feb 10, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo (10) dribbles the ball as Los Angeles Lakers guard Wayne Ellington (2) defends during first quarter action at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports /

Connelly’s taking calls for Afflalo much sooner than he hoped after he grabbed the old Nugget this past offseason. It’s sad considering the excitement we all had when we heard Afflalo was coming home. I mean, Afflalo himself mentioned the Nuggets could win a championship with him!

Either way, the trade deadline deals that are looming for Connelly need to deliver far better than the Afflalo trade did. Afflalo’s never found his true rhythm this season, and it seems trading Fournier for Afflalo just made the Nuggets older.

For example, this season the 29-year old Afflalo is posting 14.5 points, 3,4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists a game. All three averages are down from his last season in Orlando. The 22-year old Fournier is right with him with averages of 12.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. Not to mention, the Magic got a second round pick in the deal.

To be fair, Afflalo was coming off a great year where he averaged 18+ points a game and looked like a great addition to an “on the brink” (or so we thought) Nuggets roster. Plus, the trade officially proved this roster needs to be moved toward youth, not away from it, so it wasn’t a complete wash.

However, GMs are measured by results. The Nuggets desperately need to see results from Connelly in the next six days, and without some deadline magic – Connelly’s going to be gone as quick as Afflalo was.

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