NBA Trade Grades: Knicks add Emmanuel Mudiay in 3-team deal

Denver Nuggets

At first glance, it seems like the Nuggets got the short end of the stick. Devin Harris is (by far) the oldest player of the bunch, he’s not a prominent name anymore and Denver is officially pulling the plug on Mudiay, their former seventh overall pick.

However, that’s oversimplifying things. The sad truth is, to this point in his career, Emmanuel Mudiay is not a good NBA player. Though he’s still only 21 years old, he’s been extremely turnover-prone, he’s a poor defender and for most of his career, has proven he can’t shoot — the recipe for a useless point guard in this league.

This season, Mudiay was averaging 8.5 points, 2.9 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game — all career lows. With Jamal Murray looking like their point guard of the future, it wasn’t surprising the Nuggets made Mudiay available, even if the return on a former top-10 pick is disappointingly low.

With that being said, Harris is a great addition to a team looking to make a playoff push. He’s a 14-year veteran who will bring a terrific presence to the locker room. He was beloved in Dallas for that very reason, and his impact on Dennis Smith Jr. could extend to Murray’s development as well.

This season, Harris is averaging 8.5 points, 1.9 assists and 1.9 rebounds in only 18.3 minutes per game. He’s shooting a decent 35.2 percent from 3-point range as well. His $4.4 million salary will come off the books this summer, so he’s most likely a rental.

This isn’t the sexiest of returns, and Denver’s decision to draft Mudiay in the first place remains a questionable one in hindsight, but Harris will help Murray grow, he’ll aid Denver’s second unit in a push for the playoffs and he’ll provide professionalism for a young locker room.

As for the pick, if the season ended today, it’d only be a few spots higher than the second-rounder the Nuggets are sending to Dallas, but every little bit helps.

Grade: B-