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NBA Trade Deadline: Grading the Arron Afflalo Trade

By Evan Massey

Jan 3, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo (10) during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo (10) during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 3, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo (10) during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo (10) during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /

What grade do both the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers get for the trade that sent Arron Afflalo to Portland?

The NBA trade deadline is at 3 p.m. today, and the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers have agreed to the first trade of the day. Take a look at the details of the deal for both sides.

Acquiring Afflalo is something that Portland has been looking to do for the past couple of weeks. They are very close to being a legitimate contender to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals, but they needed to bring in a scorer off the bench. That is a role that Afflalo will be more than capable of doing, and they were willing to pay for it.

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So far this season in Denver, Afflalo has averaged 14.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. He is a much more capable scorer than he has shown so far this season, and Denver simply wasn’t a great fit for him. Perhaps he will be able to get back to the type of game that he played with the Orlando Magic last season with the Trail Blazers.

Thomas Robinson is a very intriguing pickup for the Nuggets along with the first-round pick. He was the fifth overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, but simply hasn’t fit into the NBA yet. So far this season with Portland, Robinson has averaged 3.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.

It will be very intriguing to see how this deal works out for both teams, but it is time to grade the deal for both teams.

Denver Nuggets

First of all, the Nuggets have been looking to sell their talent for the last month or so. Afflalo hasn’t fit in with Brian Shaw‘s system, and their playoff hopes are gone. It has been a very disappointing season, but trading Afflalo and getting some value for him now was the right move.

Acquiring Robinson is a very interesting pickup for the Nuggets. He hasn’t found his niche in the NBA just yet, but there is no denying the athleticism and talent that he possesses. Denver has some minutes that they can give him in the front-court, and if he can figure himself out and reach his full potential then the Nuggets will end up winning this trade in a big way.

Barton and Claver are simply fillers in this trade, and they likely won’t see much action in Denver. Obviously the first-round pick is a nice pickup for the Nuggets, even though Portland is going to be a late first-round pick.

Denver made a very good move for the future of their franchise. They aren’t likely to get any stars out of this deal, but there is a chance that they will get two solid pieces for the future in Robinson and the pick.

Nuggets Trade Grade: B+

Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers are currently 36-17 on the season, which pencils them in at the three-seed in the West. LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard are a dangerous one-two punch, but the Blazers needed some more pieces to support them.

Bench scoring has been a major issue all season long, and Afflalo is going to be a very solid piece for them. He didn’t show even close to the scoring talent that he has with the Nuggets this year, but he did average 18.2 points per game in 2013 with the Magic. Afflalo isn’t a huge name, but he is going to be a more than capable piece for Portland as they make a stretch run at the playoffs.

Needless to say, this is the exact type of move that the Blazers were needing. Trading away Robinson leaves them with a bit less depth in the front-court, but it was still a good return for what they gave up.

Alonzo Gee won’t see the court much at all for the Blazers, but he isn’t a shabby bench pickup. This is a pickup that could take the Blazers forward in the Western Conference and give them a chance to knock off their main competitors in a seven-game series.

Portland Trail Blazers Grade: A-

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