Arron Afflalo Traded to the Denver Nuggets

In an effort to open up more room under the salary cap, the Detroit Pistons traded Arron Afflalo and Walter Sharpe to the Denver Nuggets for a future second round pick. The Nuggets also received cash in the deal.

For the Pistons, this move made sense because they will now have about $3.5 million to go after a free agent such as Drew Gooden or Ben Gordon. Sharpe wasn’t in the long-term plans and Afflalo was a replaceable piece.

Afflalo was the gem of this trade for the Nuggets. After losing Dahntay Jones in free agency to the Indiana Pacers, the Nuggets needed a defensive swingman. Enter Arron Afflalo. Though he’s not much of a scorer, he’s a scrappy defender who plays hard every possession.

While this was a noteworthy deal, it’s not nearly as big as the last time these two teams swapped players. Early last season, the Nuggets and the Pistons swapped Allen Iverson and Chauncey Billups. When all was said and done, the Nuggets were ecstatic to have Billups and Iverson was a disaster in Detroit.

Arron Afflalo Traded to the Nuggets (Image: Zuma Press)