Corey Brewer

Clippers, Heat Showed Interest In Corey Brewer

December 9th, 2014 at 3:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Clippers and Heat were among the teams that expressed interest in Corey Brewer when the Wolves were reportedly in active discussions last month about trading the swingman, USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt tweets. It’s unclear whether those teams continue to eye Brewer. The Rockets and Cavs were apparently the most serious suitors, and Houston emerged as the team most likely to acquire the 28-year-old former No. 7 overall pick before talks appeared to die down.

Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders suggested last month that Brewer was too valuable for his injury-wracked team to trade, and Brewer rumors largely ceased from that point on. Saunders hinted today that the team has gone into rebuilding mode because of the injuries, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press (Twitter links), though it’s unclear if that changes the dynamic involving Brewer. The Happy Walters client makes $4.703MM this season and has a player option worth $4.703MM for next season that teams interested in trading for him would strongly prefer him to waive, as Zillgitt reported last month.

The Clippers, who also apparently have some level of interest in Andrei Kirilenko, would have to be careful to match salaries with the Wolves, since they’re perilously close to their hard cap. The Heat have greater flexibility, though they’re roughly $4MM shy of the luxury tax line. Brewer’s numbers have been off this season, as I examined Monday when I looked at his trade candidacy, though I urged Saunders to move quickly toward a deal if interest remains strong.

Trade Candidate: Corey Brewer

December 8th, 2014 at 3:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

The chatter surrounding Corey Brewer has quieted down over the past few weeks, but the 28-year-old swingman remains one of the most intriguing trade candidates in the league. It would be no surprise if talk picks back up after a week from today, when most offseason signees become eligible for inclusion in trades. Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders insisted recently that Brewer is too valuable for his team to give up for now, a statement that largely prompted rumors surrounding Brewer to cease. But as the injury-wracked Timberwolves slowly return to health in the weeks ahead, the specter of a trade will grow. Still, unless Brewer begins to play better, it would be in spite of the performance the former seventh overall pick has displayed this season, and not because of it.

Brewer has made his reputation on defense over the course of his career, but his numbers this season haven’t backed it up. His defensive box plus/minus, a Basketball-Reference metric, is negative 0.2, well off from his career high of 1.2 last year. The Timberwolves give up an egregious 113.7 points per 100 possessions when Brewer is on the floor this season, and only 107.1 when he’s not, according to NBA.com. Of course, those points per possession numbers have as much, if not more, to do with the four other players on the floor with Brewer, and it’s obvious that the Timberwolves, at 4-15 this season, don’t have much with which to surround him. Such analytics have given greater insight into just how well players are performing on defense, but defense remains tricky to measure. Ill-advised gambling too often shows up in a positive light in a traditional metric like steals per game, but by that measure, Brewer is matching what he did last season, when he recorded a career high 1.9 SPG, and he’s creating those turnovers in fewer minutes this time around.

There’s little debating that Brewer’s shot has been off so far this year, however. He’s just 5 for 31 from three-point range, though the long ball has never been a strength for the career 29.1% three-point shooter. Wisely, he’s taken fewer three-pointers this year, but he appears to have replaced them mostly with long twos, as Basketball-Reference shooting data shows. He’s shooting just 15.2% from between 16 feet from the basket and the three-point line, according to that data. Brewer is never going to help an offense with its spacing, but his outside shooting so far this year has been an hindrance to his team. Brewer’s made up for it in some measure with a career-high 1.4 offensive rebounds per game, but many teams place little value in offensive rebounding, preferring instead that their players hustle back and set up defensively.

It was somewhat odd to see Houston emerge as a more likely destination for Brewer than Cleveland at one point late last month. The Rockets trail only the Grizzlies in stinginess when it comes to points allowed per possession, according to NBA.com, so Brewer’s defense, assuming it perks up, would only add to a strength. His poor outside shooting would also run counter to Houston’s organizational emphasis on the three-pointer, and his choice to shoot more long two-pointers so far this season would certainly meet with resistance were he to don red.

Still, the Rockets had reportedly been anxious to make a move to bolster their depth after a summer of moves that depleted it, and it seems as though they’ve held aspirations of acquiring a rotation-caliber player whom they can package in another trade at the deadline. It’s not impossible to package players together in a trade without aggregating their salaries, but aggregation makes it a lot simpler, and it’s a tool the Rockets would only be able to use with Brewer if they acquire him by December 19th, two months before the trade deadline. So, in that regard, it makes more sense for Houston to trade for Brewer, though the team would still risk getting stuck with a player who doesn’t fit if GM Daryl Morey can’t find a deadline deal to his liking that involves Brewer. Even so, Minnesota’s need for healthy players in the short term might not lapse in time to meet that December 19th timeframe, and Morey seemed to back off an aggressive pursuit of a similar swap that would have sent out Omer Asik two months before last year’s trade deadline.

Cleveland seems a more natural home for Brewer. Reports have indicated that the Cavs have shown interest in Tayshaun Prince and Andrei Kirilenko in addition to Brewer, signaling Cleveland’s apparent interest in a wing defender. The presence of Kevin Love and Mike Miller would help offset Brewer’s lack of outside shooting, and Kyrie Irving is hitting treys at a sizzling 42.2% clip in 90 attempts so far this season. Still, it seems Cleveland’s primary focus is on finding a rim-protector, making Brewer a secondary target.

The Rockets and Cavs have trade exceptions they can use to absorb Brewer’s nearly $4.703MM salary for this season, but the Kings and Celtics are the only other teams with trade exceptions large enough to use on him. The Lakers and Pacers have disabled player exceptions sizable enough to accommodate his salary, but the presence of his $4.905MM player option would nix that, since disabled player exceptions may only be used to acquire players on expiring contracts. Teams would reportedly like Brewer to waive that player option, but that seems a long shot unless he were to have the chance to head to a contending team.

The Mavs give up the most points per possession among teams with reasonable title chances this year, followed closely by the Raptors and then the Cavs, so perhaps Brewer would be attractive to Dallas and Toronto, assuming his defensive slip isn’t a long-term phenomenon. Brewer has been with Dallas once before, as a largely forgotten presence on the 2011 title team, and the Mavs lack a swingman who has provided consistent minutes at both the shooting guard and small forward positions so far this season. The Raptors would receive the immediate benefit of plugging Brewer in for the injured DeMar DeRozan, but he might prove too much of a drain on minutes for Louis Williams and James Johnson. Of course, there haven’t been reports linking Brewer to either the Raptors or the Mavs, so they’re merely speculative suitors.

The Wolves seem destined for the lottery this season, and while Brewer is indeed valuable as a stopgap for now who can can provide Andrew Wiggins with a veteran presence and mentor him on the finer parts of NBA defense, he doesn’t appear to be a long-term asset for the team. Brewer’s statistical declines might already be dampening interest from around the league, but it seems that he’s nonetheless a wanted commodity. It would behoove Saunders to strike upon this prior to the deadline if he can net a return capable of accelerating the rebuilding process in Minnesota.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Wolves Discussing Corey Brewer Trade

November 20th, 2014 at 1:58pm CST by Zachary Links

1:58pm: Saunders suggested today that Brewer is too valuable to the Wolves for the team to move him, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press.

THURSDAY, 10:48am: Houston has become a more likely destination for Brewer than Cleveland, though the situation remains in flux, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Rockets are ready to make a move immediately, Stein adds (Twitter link), echoing a report from Wednesday that the team is anxious to use its Jeremy Lin trade exception. The Cavs are still deciding whether they should make the addition of a rim-protector a higher priority than bringing aboard a wing defender like Brewer, according to Stein.

5:28pm: Cleveland is “unquestionably” interested in acquiring Brewer, writes Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, who hears from a Cavs official who describes the swingman as a perfect fit, in part because he would allow the team to keep Dion Waiters out of the starting lineup. Still, the Rockets have as much chance as the Cavs do to land Brewer, Amico adds, suggesting that the Wolves are indeed in no hurry to trade him.

MONDAY, 3:35pm: Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders tried to bat down the rumor today, telling reporters that the team won’t rush into a decision, as Andy Greder of the St. Paul Pioneer Press notes (Twitter link).

SUNDAY, 5:16pm: A key factor for a team acquiring Brewer is getting him to waive him player option for 2015/16, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (on Twitter) hears.

4:32pm: The Wolves are in active trade discussions regarding Corey Brewer, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The two teams mentioned as being most serious contenders interested in acquiring the 28-year-old swingman are the Rockets and the Cavaliers, notes Stein. The Wolves are reportedly seeking future assets in any deal. It is unclear if that means Minnesota is interested in a return of a younger player or draft picks for Brewer, either of which would help hasten the team’s rebuilding process.

Brewer’s primary value is as a defensive stopper on the perimeter, something that Cleveland in particular could use, and Brewer’s defensive skill is at a premium in the league with the increased focus on guard-driven offense. Brewer is also a capable transition scorer, and if he ends up in Cleveland he would reunite with former teammate Kevin Love, whose outlet passes often found Brewer in transition with great success last season, notes Stein. The other appeal that Brewer has to the Cavs is in his ability to play and defend multiple positions. And he also make sense for the Cavs as they look to get stronger at two guard to help keep LeBron James‘ minutes down.

The Rockets have been said to ‎covet Brewer since last season, Stein notes. Houston could use depth at both the small forward and shooting guard spots, and Brewer would help solidify what is already a strong defensive unit, with the Rockets currently second in the league in fewest points allowed at a stingy 91.6 per game. Houston head coach Kevin McHale also has ties to Brewer having drafted him when he was the GM in Minnesota back in 2007.

Both the Rockets and Cavaliers currently have the league-maximum 15 players on their rosters, but each team could fit Brewer’s salary of $4,702,500 into a trade exception, meaning neither would have to send Minnesota a player in return. However, absorbing Brewer’s salary without sending anyone to the Wolves might put the Cavs into tax territory, depending on whom the team would relinquish in a separate transaction to fit Brewer beneath the 15-man roster limit. The Rockets, roughly $10MM clear of the tax threshold, have no such concerns.

Poll: Best Fit For Corey Brewer

November 20th, 2014 at 9:06am CST by Chuck Myron

Corey Brewer can’t single-handedly change the fortunes of an NBA franchise, but he can be a difference-maker in the title race for a team that already has its stars in place. Brewer’s six-steal performance Wednesday for the Timberwolves in a win against the Knicks is testament to the sort of effect he can have defensively. It’s no doubt with that sort of ability in mind that a pair of elite teams are reportedly in talks with the Wolves to acquire the eighth-year swingman.

Cleveland, one of those teams, is supposed to be atop the league after welcoming LeBron James back and trading for Kevin Love this past summer. Instead, the Cavs are just 5-5, allowing the fifth most points per possession in the league, according to NBA.com. Joe Harris, the 33rd overall pick from this year’s draft, is seeing significant minutes at shooting guard, a development that bodes well for the long-term future but doesn’t speak highly of the team’s perimeter depth for this season.

The Rockets, the other club linked to Brewer, are 9-3 after a 9-1 start. The Rockets have begun the season better than might have been expected after a disappointing offseason, but GM Daryl Morey is apparently anxious to use the trade exception he acquired for Jeremy Lin to fortify a rotation that lost much of its depth over the summer. Houston has the best defense in the league in terms of points allowed per possession, NBA.com shows, but if the Rockets can use their exception to acquire Brewer without giving anyone up in return, they stand a better chance of remaining a defensive force all season and into the playoffs.

The Cavs are probably more talented on the whole than the Rockets are, but that doesn’t mean everything when it comes to the acquisition of a specific player. Let us know whether you think Cleveland or Houston is the better destination for the former University of Florida standout, or if you believe he’d better serve another team. Feel free to elaborate on your choice in the comments.

Western Notes: Brewer, Jackson, Gay

November 17th, 2014 at 8:22pm CST by Alex Lee

Tonight’s matchup between Memphis and Houston is a good one, but it’d be hard to fault fans looking forward to Wednesday night’s clash between the defending champion Spurs and the LeBron James-led Cavaliers. Sam Amick of USA Today writes that the Cleveland faithful should thank the Spurs for their part in sending James back to his hometown club, as few dispute that a Miami victory last June would have prevented the offseason’s biggest shakeup.

We’ll have to wait until Wednesday to see if the Spurs get their due from the Quicken Loans Arena crowd. Until then, let’s see what else is going on out West:

While Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders tried to downplay the Corey Brewer rumors earlier today, it sure appears that interest in the veteran swingman is legitimate. However, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities isn’t getting the sense that a trade is imminent (via Twitter). Meanwhile, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle questions whether the Rockets would use their traded player exception this early in the season (via Twitter). As our Outstanding Trade Exceptions guide shows, Houston obtained a trade exception of nearly $8.4MM when they sent Jeremy Lin to the Lakers.
With superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook on the shelf, Thunder guard Reggie Jackson has had the spotlight to himself in Oklahoma City recently, averaging 21.5 points in the team’s first 11 games. Jackson and the Thunder broke off extension talks in October and the fourth-year guard is set for restricted free agency this summer. One guy who knows what it’s like to be the third fiddle in OKC is James Harden, who told Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman that Jackson should take advantage of this opportunity. “I fell into the same situation, and that could have been my only contract. And I’m sure Reggie feels the same way. He has to get the money that he’s earned and that he’s worked his whole life for. It’s the nature of the business. It’s going to happen every single year and it’s going to continue to happen.”
Rudy Gay and the Kings are perfect for each other, writes Tom Ziller of SB Nation. Ziller considers the extension agreed upon yesterday to be mutually beneficial, with Sacramento keeping a good player at a reasonable price while Gay pockets a nice chunk of change in the short term without totally sacrificing his ability to take advantage of the league’s new TV money. Assuming his success continues in Sacramento, Gay can decline his player option for 2017/18 and cash in one year after the cap explodes skyward in 2016.

Trade Retrospective: Carmelo Anthony To Knicks

August 16th, 2014 at 9:16am CST by Eddie Scarito

There are only eight more days until Andrew Wiggins can officially be traded, and Kevin Love can put on a Cavaliers jersey, which would complete the biggest trade of the summer. But the trade doesn’t guarantee that Cleveland will hoist a Championship banner next year, or that the Timberwolves will break their string of missing the playoffs.

I’ve been taking a look back at past blockbuster deals, and how they worked out for both sides involved. So far I’ve recapped the deals that sent Dwight Howard to the Lakers; Deron Williams to the Nets; and Kevin Garnett to the Celtics. Next on the docket is the February of 2011 trade that sent Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks.

Anthony pushed for the trade during the 2010/11 season primarily because of the new CBA in the works that would reduce the maximum contract amount he would be able to re-sign for. With the labor agreement ending June 30th, 2011, and uncertainty surrounding what the next pact would look like, it was in Anthony’s best financial interests to sign an extension as part of an extend-and-trade transaction with the Knicks rather than wait for free agency.

The cuts didn’t end up being quite as harsh as the players had feared. As part of the trade, Anthony signed a three-year, $65MM extension with the Knicks. The maximum amount he could have signed for under the new CBA as a free agent would have been approximately $58MM. The first-year salary would have still allowed for a maximum of 105% of his prior salary. It was after that first year, where the annual increases dropped under the new agreement, going from the previous CBA’s 8% maximum increase, down to 4.5%. It’s worth noting that since Anthony opted out of his contract’s final year, he only gained roughly $3MM over the course of that deal than if he would have simply signed with New York as a free agent.

The trade involved New York, the Nuggets, and the Timberwolves. Let’s begin by recapping the pieces involved.

The Knicks received Anthony; Renaldo Balkman; Chauncey Billups; Anthony Carter; and Shelden Williams from Denver. They also received Corey Brewer from Minnesota.
The Timberwolves received Eddy Curry; Anthony Randolph; and $3MM from New York. They also received a 2015 second-rounder from Denver.
The Nuggets received Danilo Gallinari; Wilson Chandler; Raymond Felton; Timofey Mozgov; the right to swap first-round picks in 2016; a 2014 first-rounder (No. 12 overall); a 2012 second-round pick (Quincy Miller); a 2013 second-round pick (via Golden State); and $3MM cash from the Knicks. Denver also received Kosta Koufos from Minnesota.

For the Knicks the big prize was obviously Anthony. Team owner James Dolan had been seeking a big name player, but had struck out in trying to lure LeBron James to New York the prior year, and the team had to settle for Amar’e Stoudemire instead. Dolan’s biggest fear was that Anthony could end up with the rival Nets, which would have been a blow to his ego, as well as threaten the Knicks’ position as the No. 1 team in New York.

The knock on ‘Melo has always been the same: he’s a ball-stopper who doesn’t make the players around him better. He had also led the Nuggets out of the first round of the playoffs just once (2008/09) during his tenure in Denver. Anthony may have broken the first-round curse of the Knicks back in 2012/13, but the criticisms still remain.

Anthony has been a stat-sheet filler for the Knicks during his time in New York. Here are his numbers by season since the trade:

2010/11: In the final 27 games after the trade, he averaged 26.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 3.0 APG.
2011/12: 22.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 3.6 APG. His slash line was .430/.335/.804.
2012/13: 28.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 2.6 APG. His slash line was .449/.379/.830.
2013/14: 27.4 PPG, 8.1 RPG, and 3.1 APG. His slash line was .452/.402/.848.

If you look at the trade based on Anthony’s statistical production, then it’s hard to argue that the deal was a failure. The Knicks hadn’t made the playoffs since the 2003/04 campaign, and their record since that year leading up to the Anthony acquisition was 173-319. Since the deal, the Knicks have made the playoffs three of the four seasons ‘Melo has been with the franchise. Their record during this stretch is 169-143.

As the team’s star player, Anthony gets a lot of heat for the Knicks’ failure to advance past the second round. I personally feel that while Anthony isn’t necessarily the problem, he hasn’t been the solution either. The front office hasn’t been able to pair him with the right group of players who maximize his talents and hide his deficiencies. The team has also suffered from poor point guard play throughout Anthony’s tenure, which is a major reason for the team’s disappointments.

But Anthony hasn’t been able to elevate those around him either. LeBron had less talent around him during his first stint in Cleveland, yet he was able to make it to the NBA Finals, losing to the Spurs in 2007. The Knicks and their fans had better hope that the triangle offense and arrival of Jose Calderon will help Anthony take his play to the next level, seeing as he isn’t leaving anytime soon. Anthony recently re-signed with the team for five years and $124MM.

Renaldo Balkman was originally drafted by the Knicks back in 2006. He was traded to the Nuggets in 2008, in what was essentially a salary dump. His second stint in New York lasted all of 17 games, where he averaged 2.0 PPG, in parts of two seasons. Balkman was released on February 17, 2012, to make room on the roster for J.R. Smith, who was signed as a free agent after playing in China. Balkman hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since. His only claim to fame since leaving the NBA was an incident where he choked a teammate during a game in the Philippines.

Chauncey Billups was a good pickup for the Knicks. At the time of the trade, he was averaging 16.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 5.3 APG. He finished out the season strong for New York, putting up 17.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 5.5 APG. But in December of that year the Knicks used the Amnesty Provision to waive Billups in order to clear enough cap space to sign free agent Tyson Chandler. Some would argue, myself included, that New York would have been better served in the long run to have amnestied Stoudemire instead.

The Clippers claimed Billups off of waivers for the bargain price of $2MM, leaving the Knicks on the hook for the remaining $12.2MM the player was owed for that season. Billups provided Los Angeles with 15.0 PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 4.0 APG that year.

Anthony Carter was essentially a throw-in, and finished the season with the Knicks, averaging 4.4 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 2.3 APG. Carter became a free agent at the end of the season and signed with the Raptors. He appeared in 24 contests, averaging 2.0 PPG, 1.4 RPG, and 1.4 APG. He was waived by Toronto on March 15, 2012. He hasn’t played in an NBA game since, and is now an assistant coach in the NBA D-League.

Shelden Williams appeared in 17 games for New York, averaging 3.9 PPG and 2.9 RPG. The Knicks didn’t re-sign him at the end of the 2010/11 season. Williams then signed a one-year deal with the Nets, and appeared in 58 games for New Jersey, averaging 4.6 PPG and 6.0 RPG. That was Williams’ last season in the NBA, and he last saw action over in China.

Corey Brewer was waived by the Knicks without ever appearing in a game for them. Two days later, once Brewer cleared waivers, he signed a three-year, $8MM deal with the Mavericks. Brewer was part of Dallas’ championship team that season, averaging 5.3 PPG and 1.8 RPG. He was then traded that December to the Nuggets along with Rudy Fernandez in exchange for a 2016 second-round pick.

Brewer played well for Denver, averaging 8.9 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 2011/12, and 12.1 PPG and 2.9 RPG in 2012/13. He then left Denver as a free agent, signing a three-year, $15MM contract to return to the Wolves. Brewer averaged 12.3 PPG and 2.6 RPG last year for Minnesota.

Minnesota was involved to help the Knicks make the salaries work for matching purposes. They took on Eddy Curry‘s expiring deal, and they bought out his contract without him ever playing a game for them. Curry signed with the Heat in December of 2011, appearing in 14 games, averaging 2.1 PPG that year.

Anthony Randolph was supposed to be a big part of New York’s future when he was acquired as part of the sign-and-trade deal that sent David Lee to the Warriors. But he remained buried on the Knicks’ bench, averaging 2.1 PPG and 2.4 RPG, in just 7.1 minutes a night. He fared slightly better after the trade, averaging 7.4 PPG and 3.6 PPG to finish out the year.

After the season, Randolph left Minnesota and signed a three-year, $6MM deal with the Nuggets. He didn’t log many minutes in Denver either, averaging 4.3 PPG and 2.6 RPG in his two seasons with the Nuggets. He was then traded during the 2014 NBA Draft in the deal that sent the rights to Doug McDermott to the Bulls, and netted Denver the rights to Gary Harris.

This brings us to the Nuggets, and how they have fared since the trade. In Anthony’s eight seasons in Denver, the team’s cumulative record was 388-268. Since the trade, they have gone 131-99, with two playoff appearances, losing both series in the first round. Injuries have certainly taken their toll, and they’re the main reason the team missed the playoffs last year.

The centerpiece of the trade from Denver’s side, was Danilo Gallinari. The Nuggets were hoping that he could replace Anthony as the team’s primary scorer, and they were banking on his potential to make the trade work in their favor. It hasn’t quite worked out that way as injuries have mounted. He missed half of the 2011/12 season and the entire 2013/14 season.

Gallinari’s numbers in Denver are:

2010/11: 14.7 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 1.6 APG. His slash line was .412/.370/.772.
2011/12: 14.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 2.7 APG. His slash line was .414/.328/.871.
2012/13: 16.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 2.5 APG. His slash line was .418/.373/.822.
2013/14: Missed entire season.

It remains to be seen how Gallinari will fare this coming season, but it’s hard to count on him as a cornerstone thanks to his injury history. He originally came into the league with a history of back problems, which slowed him his first season in New York. Denver better hope he can return to form, seeing as they signed him to a four-year, $42MM extension in January of 2012.

Wilson Chandler was the other significant piece the Nuggets acquired, and he has also been bitten by the injury bug during his time in Denver. He missed half of the 2011/12 season when he signed with a team in China during the NBA lockout. Since Chandler didn’t have an out-clause in his contract, he couldn’t return to the NBA until after the Chinese playoffs ended. Once he was permitted to return to the NBA, he signed a five-year, $37MM deal with the Nuggets, but Chandler only appeared in eight games that season before suffering a labral tear in his left hip.

Chandler’s numbers since arriving in Denver are:

2010/11: 12.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 1.6 APG. His slash line was .419/.347/.810.
2011/12: 9.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 2.1 APG. His slash line was .392/.250/.833.
2012/13: 13.0 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 1.3 APG. His slash line was .462/.413/.793.
2013/14: 13.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 1.8 APG. His slash line was .416/.348/.724.

Prior to the trade, Raymond Felton was enjoying a strong first season in New York, thriving under then-coach Mike D’Antoni‘s system. In 54 games, Felton averaged 17.1 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 9.0 APG.

Once he arrived in Denver, Felton was relegated to backing up Ty Lawson, which didn’t sit well with Felton. After the season he requested a trade, and was dealt as part of a three team trade with Dallas and Portland during the 2011 NBA Draft. In return the Nuggets received Andre Miller and the rights to the No. 26 pick Jordan Hamilton.

Miller played well during his 2+ seasons in Denver, averaging 8.4 PPG and 5.3 APG. He was dealt to the Wizards last season after a falling out with coach Brian Shaw over his playing time.

Hamilton was also dealt last season, being sent to the Rockets in exchange for Aaron Brooks. During his time in Denver, Hamilton averaged 5.5 PPG and 2.7 RPG. Brooks played well after he trade, appearing in 29 games, and putting up 11.9 PPG and 5.2 APG. Brooks signed a one-year, minimum-salary deal with the Bulls this summer.

Felton hasn’t enjoyed the same success that he did under D’Antoni. His one season in Portland was marred by Felton arriving out-of-shape after the lockout ended, and he averaged 11.4 PPG and 6.5 APG during the 2011/12 season.

That was Felton’s only season in Rip City. He was sent back to the Knicks in a sign-and-trade deal along with Kurt Thomas in exchange for Jared Jeffries; Dan Gadzuric; Kostas Papanikolaou; Georgios Printezis; and a 2016 second round pick. Felton’s new deal with New York was for four years and $14.86MM with a fourth-year player option.

Felton’s second stint in New York came to an end when he was dealt along with Tyson Chandler to the Mavericks in exchange for Jose Calderon; Samuel Dalembert; Wayne Ellington; Shane Larkin; and the No. 34 (Cleanthony Early) and No. 51 (Thanasis Antetikounmpo) picks in the 2014 NBA Draft.

The Nuggets used the 2012 second-rounder they obtained in the Anthony trade to select Quincy Miller at No. 38. Miller hasn’t done much to impress in his short career, averaging 3.1 PPG and 1.5 RPG in two seasons.

The 2013 second-round pick they obtained was sent to the Magic as part of the Dwight Howard to the Lakers trade, which was then used to select Romero Osby. The 2014 first rounder Denver received from the Knicks was also packaged in this deal, which the Magic later used as part of the 2014 draft-night swap that netted Orlando the rights to Elfrid Payton.

As a part of the Howard deal, the Nuggets received Andre Iguodala, who averaged 13.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 5.4 APG in his one season in Denver. Iguodala was shipped to the Warriors in a sign-and-trade after the 2012/13 season for Randy Foye. Foye had a decent season last year, averaging 13.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 3.5 APG for the Nuggets.

The final player that Denver received from the Knicks was the one who almost scuttled the deal, Timofey Mozgov. The talks almost broke down when New York was adamant at first about not including the 7’1″ center. Mozgov has always been viewed as a player with upside, but he has never quite realized that potential. Mozgov did have his best season as a pro last year, averaging 9.4 PPG and 6.4 RPG. He is 28 years old though, and he may have already reached his peak as a player.

The Nuggets also received Kosta Koufos from the Wolves in the deal. In his two seasons in Denver, Koufos averaged 6.8 PPG and 6.1 RPG. He signed a three-year, $9MM extension on January 25, 2012, but was traded last June to the Grizzlies for Darrell Arthur and the rights to the No. 55 Joffrey Lauvergne. During the 2013/14 season with Denver, Arthur averaged 5.9 PPG and 3.1 RPG.

The Anthony trade hasn’t quite worked out for either side like they had hoped. ‘Melo has put up fantastic individual numbers in New York, but the sheer amount of assets the franchise gave up to acquire him surely set them back. It could set New York back even further depending on how the draft picks work out in 2016 since Denver has the right to switch places with the Knicks.

For the Nuggets, the team played better after Anthony departed, making up for the loss of their star by having exceptional depth and athleticism on their roster. But injuries have certainly taken their toll, with both Gallinari and Chandler missing significant time.

Looking back at this trade, I’d have to call it a draw. New York got the best player in the deal, but Anthony hasn’t been able to improve the franchise’s fortunes yet. He just turned 30, and the near-max contract he just signed will limit the Knicks’ future options in constructing a winning roster around him before he hits his decline phase.

The Nuggets’ depth has translated into wins when everyone was healthy, but it’s rare in this league to win a championship without at least one star player on the roster, an asset the Nuggets do not currently possess. If they can remain injury-free, they should be a playoff team next season, but it’s doubtful that they can overtake the upper-echelon teams in the brutal Western Conference.

Kevin Love certainly shares some comparisons with Anthony, seeing as he also takes heat for not making those around him better, as well as being a poor defender. The big difference though is Anthony didn’t join a team with players of LeBron or Kyrie Irving‘s talent level. Time will tell if Love can silence his critics, which ‘Melo is still trying to do.

Fallout From Kevin Love Trade Agreement

August 7th, 2014 at 1:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

The time between now and August 23rd, when the Kevin Love trade agreement can become an official transaction, makes it possible that the deal could fall apart, but the Cavs and Wolves are under “enormous pressure” to honor the pact, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. A source tells Berger that Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders would listen if the Warriors decided to offer Klay Thompson, but Golden State has been steadfastly against doing so. The Warriors haven’t spoken with Minnesota for weeks, according to Berger, and Sam Amick of USA Today hears that Golden State doesn’t intend to jump back into the fray (Twitter link). Here are more aftershocks from the Love deal:

Even if the Warriors did offer up Thompson to Minnesota, it wouldn’t cause the Cavs deal to come apart, as the Wolves prefer what Cleveland is set to send them, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press.

Earlier updates:

The Wolves gave the Cavs permission more than two weeks ago to negotiate with Love about a long-term future with the Cavs, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. There are conflicting reports about whether Love has committed to signing a max deal with Cleveland next summer.
Minnesota maintains interest in Thaddeus Young, but the Wolves wouldn’t end up sending Anthony Bennett to Philadelphia if such a deal materializes, Zgoda writes in the same piece. Minnesota hopes instead to ship the 2015 first-rounder it’s acquiring from Cleveland in the Love trade to the Sixers for Young, Zgoda writes. The Wolves would also like to shed J.J. Barea and Luc Mbah a Moute in a deal for Young, according to Zgoda, who speculates that Minnesota might include Shabazz Muhammad, too.
Kevin Martin was in plenty of Love rumors, but there’s no indication that the Wolves are looking to trade him or Corey Brewer, Zgoda tweets.
Most around the league believe that the addition of Love will convince Ray Allen to sign with Cleveland at some point before camp, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, and Chris Broussard of ESPN.com tweets that he heard weeks ago that Allen would come aboard if the Cavs traded for Love. Still, Allen has dismissed similar rumors and his criteria for signing with a team appear to exclude the Cavs, as I explained Wednesday.
The Cavs aren’t looking to trade Dion Waiters, who was one of the first within the Cavs organization to whom LeBron James spoke after he made his decision to return from the Heat, Amico writes in his piece.
Cleveland is targeting big men, but the team has faith that Brendan Haywood can contribute, as Amico also notes.

And-Ones: Parker, Brewer, Melo

August 2nd, 2014 at 12:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The minimum salaries for Khris Middleton and Draymond Green became fully guaranteed at the end of Friday when they remained on the rosters of the Bucks and Warriors, respectively, according to the salary data that Mark Deeks of ShamSports compiles. Justin Hamilton of the Heat earned a partial guarantee of $408,241 when Miami kept him through Friday, while Cavs power forward Erik Murphy wound up with a partial guarantee of $100K.

Here’s more from around the league:

This has been a whirlwind offseason with numerous players changing teams. Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders looks at five players who will benefit most from their change of scenery.
Brazilian big man Fab Melo is returning home to sign with Paulistano of his native country, the team announced Friday (hat tip to Sportando). The Celtics selected Melo with the 22nd pick in 2012, but the seven footer only played six games in the NBA in 2012/13 and bounced around the D-League last season after failing the make the Mavs roster in training camp.
Former NBA player Darius Johnson-Odom has signed with Acqua Vitasnella Cantù of the Italian League, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Johnson-Odom appeared in three games for the Sixers as well as seeing stints in China and the NBA D-League last season.
Spurs GM R.C. Buford indicated that the team and newly-extended point guard Tony Parker had a mutual interest in an agreement, according to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News (Twitter links here). “His play warranted the commitment of the organization,” Buford said. “He made a commitment to our organization, too, by doing this now and taking himself out of a free agency opportunity a year from now. It was important to him and us to capitalize off the momentum this year creates and not have to worry about it at a later date.”
The Timberwolves aren’t willing to move Corey Brewer in any deal involving Kevin Love, reports Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press (Twitter link). Brewer is staying in Minnesota, writes Krawczynski.

Chuck Myron and Alex Lee contributed to this post.

Draft Rumors: Cavs, Wolves, Afflalo, Jazz, Sixers

June 24th, 2014 at 12:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavs had been favoring Jabari Parker, but his poor performance in a workout for the team coupled with a stirring audition from Andrew Wiggins has left Cleveland torn with just two days to go before the draft, according to Jeff Goodman and Chad Ford of ESPN.com. The time left before Thursday night’s draft figures to be full of back-and-forth, with uncertainty seemingly surrounding all 60 picks. Here’s the latest:

The Wolves are willing to give up J.J. Barea, Corey Brewer, Alexey Shved and the No. 13 pick in an effort to either land a higher draft pick or a veteran, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes in his NBA AM piece. The Bulls have their eyes on the 13th pick, according to Kyler.
The Hornets, who have a longstanding interest in Arron Afflalo, are on board with surrendering the No. 9 pick and a player for the Magic shooting guard, Kyler writes in the same piece.
The Jazz are targeting Wiggins as they attempt to move up rather than Parker, and they’re actively shopping pick No. 23, according to Kyler.
The Sixers‘ reason for seeking a third top-10 pick is so they would still be able to emerge with two top-10 picks from the draft if they package the third and 10th selections to move up, sources tell Kyler.
The Kings have three deals in the works involving the No. 8 pick, according to Andy Katz of ESPN.com.
The Bucks are not actively shopping John Henson, in spite of heavy interest from other teams, but they are open to the idea of trading him for a lottery pick, reports Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
Milwaukee is listening to offers for the No. 2 overall pick, though Bucks GM John Hammond said today that “it would take something very special,” to prompt him to give it up, tweets Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
It’s “highly unlikely” that the Blazers, who are without a pick in either round on Thursday, end up trading for one, as Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com hears (Twitter link).

Odds & Ends: Irving, Ellis, Wolters

July 20th, 2013 at 11:52pm CST by Ryan Raroque

In his weekly roundup of topics surrounding Cleveland sports teams, Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer offers his thoughts on Andrew Bynum, the Cavaliers' depth at the big man positions, and Kyrie Irving. Regarding some belief that Tyler Zeller might not get much playing time with the addition of Bynum, the return of Anderson Varejao, and the presence of Tristan Thompson and Anthony Bennett, Pluto believes that the second year big man will be needed since he's skeptical of Bynum and Varejao's injury histories. You can find the rest of tonight's miscellaneous links below:

On rumors of Irving possibly leaving Cleveland or wanting out, Pluto explains why it'd be unlikely for the young star to leave the Cavs before he could become an unrestricted free agent in 2016. Pluto also lauds the acquisition of Jarrett Jack as a player who will push Dion Waiters and Irving for playing time, while also serving as an insurance policy in case one of them gets injured.
Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW writes that Monta Ellis significantly upgrades the Mavericks' talent level.
Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel takes a more in-depth look at Nate Wolters' experience in summer league play and several positive signs moving forward for the Bucks' rookie.
Kevin Martin is very much looking forward to teaming up with Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, writes John Krawczynski of the Associated Press (via the Star Tribune), who also shares that Martin played a big role in the recruitment of Corey Brewer from free agency.
In a conference call with Twin Cities reporters earlier today, Martin was asked if he had seriously considered a return to the Thunder for little money and a chance to win a championship, considering that their offer was significantly restricted by the luxury tax: "Always. I also feel like I found the same thing with Minnesota being younger. They've had some injuries over the years, but they're a good team, too. I made a decision and I think it's a great one. I learned from Oklahoma CIty, they're a great organization. The way KD and Russ approach the game, I think that's something I'll bring to Minnesota" (Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune).
Bulls rookie Tony Snell loves being compared to Kawhi Leonard, notes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
ESPN's David Thorpe explains why the quality of summer league play has suffered a bit this year and assesses the performance of key second year players in Las Vegas with Kevin Arnowitz and Amin Elhassan (video links).