Denver Nuggets: 4 Greatest Trades In Franchise History
The trade that bought Fat Lever to the Mile High is massively overlooked
Nuggets Receive: Fat Lever, Calvin Natt, Wayne Cooper, a 1st round draft pick and a 2nd round draft pick.
Trailblazers Recieve: Kiki Vandeweghe.
(1984)
It was a controversial move when the Nuggets decides to trade then 25-year old budding superstar Kiki Vandeweghe to divisional rival, the Portland Trailblazers in the 1984 off-season.
Vandeweghe was coming off of two consecutive seasons as an All-Star and was averaging 23.3ppg across four, very consistent seasons for Denver.
At the time of the trade, Vandeweghe was the teams leading scorer at 29.4ppg, ahead of the legendary Alex English, who was the second at 26.4ppg.
The Nuggets finished with a 38-44 record during Vandeweghe’s last season in Denver and were trounced by the Jazz in the first round of the playoffs. The franchise was desperate for success, and as such, they took a chance by trading Vandeweghe in exchange for Fat Lever, Calvin Natt and Wayne Cooper.
What transpired after that was a 50-32 overall record during the 1984/85 season and a trip to the Western Conference Finals against the Showtime Lakers.
Incomers Calvin Natt and Fat Lever were instrumental in getting the Nuggets to the next level. Natt posted 23.3ppg on on 54% shooting while Fat Lever took control of the offense. Lever started in every game that season, averaging 12.3ppg, 7.5apg and 5.0rpg.
Wayne Cooper was no slouch either, putting up 12.1ppg in 78 starts for Denver.
The trade went on to have a much bigger impact than just the 1984/85 season, however. Lever played six seasons with the Nuggets, and was named an All-Star twice. Natt also made an appearance as an All-star during his 5 years in Denver.
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The Nuggets went on to have one of their most successful era’s in franchise history as a result of this trade, with Alex English, Fat Lever and Calvin Natt forming a dynamic and exhilarating core that at one point, challenged the Showtime Lakers as the most exciting team in the NBA to watch.