Western Notes: Afflalo, Chandler, Johnson

The Nuggets continue to seek a first-round pick from teams interested in guard Arron Afflalo, according to Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Afflalo could become a free agent at the end of this season, as he holds a $7.5MM player option for next year. Dempsey adds that teams are hesitant to surrender a first-rounder for a player that could walk at the end of the season and it is a snag that prevented Afflalo from already being traded to Charlotte. Our own Chuck Myron examined Afflalo as a trade candidate recently in which he believes it will be difficult for the Nuggets to get a first-rounder for the guard. He adds that if the team can get equal value to what it gave up when it acquired the UCLA product last offseason, a trade would be a smart move for the franchise.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

• Interest in Wilson Chandler remains high from teams around the league, writes Dempsey in the same piece. The Nuggets were reportedly shopping the forward with an eye on obtaining future-focused assets. The Blazers and the Clippers are among the teams that have been linked to the 27-year-old.
• The Jazz have decided not to bring back Chris Johnson after his 10-day contract expired Friday night, according to the team’s twitter feed. The guard/forward only appeared in two games for Utah in which he accumulated a total of 14 points, three assists and three steals during 38 minutes of action. The team’s roster now stands at 14 players.
• The Grizzlies have assigned Jordan Adams to their D-League affiliate, the Iowa Energy, according to the team’s website. To date, Adams has played 10 games for the Energy, averaging 19.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while shooting 48.3% from the field.