Feb 4, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Denver Nuggets guard forward Arron Afflalo (10) controls the ball during the first quarter against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Arron Afflalo returned to Denver before this season began, and management and fans had visions of AAA rolling into town and quickly establishing himself as the lethal volume scorer the Nuggets desperately needed. He was coming off a season with the Orlando Magic in which he averaged 18.2 points per game (the highest per game average of his career), and as the new season dawned, there was a brief moment when it looked like Afflalo might be one of the answers the Nuggets needed to solve the riddle of returning to the playoffs. In his first three games back in a Nuggets jersey, he reeled off solid scoring games of 15, 14, and 16 points. But then the Nuggets quickly revealed themselves to be a complete mess, losing 6 of their first 7 games, and Afflalo struggled, scoring 4 points or less in three of those games.
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Now, with the NBA’s trade deadline just a few days away, the Nuggets are rudderless, lost at sea in terms of finding a team identity or making a run at the Western Conference playoffs. Afflalo has been fine this season; he’s currently averaging 15.1 points per game on 43.1% shooting (although he’s only shooting 35% from deep, the third lowest three-point percentages of his career). But considering that he has a player option worth nearly $8 million next season, he’s emerged as one of the players most likely to be traded ahead of the deadline, seeing as he has value on the trade market and the Nuggets probably feel like they need to get something in return for him in case he decides to walk after the season ends.
Afflalo’s name has been mentioned frequently in trade rumors the last couple of weeks, so it’s a perfect time to consider five teams that are most likely to try to acquire him in a deal with Denver.
Next: Afflalo Takes His Talents To South Beach