Wilson Chandler Should Be Prime Trade Target for NBA's Contending Teams

The Denver Nuggets have a ready-made contributor for any NBA contender that is interested. They just need to make him available first.

Versatile forward Wilson Chandler has the physical tools, talent and experience to make a significant impact on any club fortunate enough to pry him loose from Denver's overcrowded roster.

At one end, Chandler is a consistent, efficient scorer capable of beating defenders in a number of different ways. He shoots well from inside and out. And while his in-between game leaves something to be desired, he recognizes that fact and focuses on playing to his scoring strengths.

Shot Location	FGM	FGA	FG%
Restricted Area	46	78	59.0
In the Paint (Non-RA)	17	40	42.5
Mid-Range	8	26	30.8
Left Corner 3	11	24	45.8
Right Corner 3	6	18	33.3
Above the Break 3	34	91	37.4

With the speed to beat defenders on the perimeter and the strength to finish plays at the rim, he's more than capable of finding his own looks. Only 33.8 percent of his made field goals this season have come off assists. More impressively, he has converted an even 50 percent of his shots that have come after he has taken at least three dribbles to set them up, per NBA.com's player tracking data.

But he doesn't have to play on the ball to be effective.

In fact, he has averaged 5.5 catch-and-shoot three-point attempts this season, fourth-most in the NBA. And he has buried those looks at a 39.2 percent clip, which rates ahead of such snipers as Kevin Love (37.8), Ryan Anderson (33.3) and Dirk Nowitzki (32.2).

Chandler wasn't always a shooter. Over his first five seasons in the league, he hit just 32.3 percent of his long-range attempts. The past three seasons, though, he has bumped that number all the way up to 36.9 percent, despite averaging nearly twice as many attempts (6.3 per game, up from 3.2).

Perhaps spurred by his increasing accuracy, Chandler has started to become more willing to let it fly. Last season, he was a reluctant scorer to an extent, selfless almost to a fault.

"I want him to be a little bit more selfish on our offensive end because we rely on him in that position to produce points," Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said last December, per Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post.

Whatever switch Chandler needed to flip, it seems like he's found it.

He went for 18-plus points in 62 games last season, roughly 29 percent of the time. This season, he has eight such outings over his first 22 games, more than 36 percent.

"Remember when Brian Shaw had to nearly plead with Wilson Chandler to shoot more?" Dempsey wrote recently. "No. Longer. A. Problem. Chandler has been arguably the Nuggets most consistent offensive player all season long."

That being said, it wouldn't be correct to label Chandler as a "scorer." Doing so would overlook the exceptional job he does on the defensive end.

Chandler, as Grantland's Brett Koremenos noted in March 2013, "can match up 1 through 4." No matter where the hot hand lies, Chandler's 6'8", 225-pound frame and long wingspan are built to slow it down.

More importantly, he also embraces the challenges that exist on that side of the ball.

"I like playing both sides of the court," he said in March 2012, per Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post. "I just try to play hard. The more stops we get, the easier it is to run. Defense creates more opportunities on offense. ... I like playing defense."

On the season, he is holding opposing small forwards to a player efficiency rating of 15.3, per 82games.com. Even if that number doesn't impress initially, the value behind it grows when considering the caliber of assignments coming his way.

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But, again, Chandler shouldn't be dubbed simply as a "stopper."

He doesn't just shine during defensive possessions, he also helps close them out. Among 66 qualified small forwards, his 18.7 defensive rebound rate ranks 11th, per ESPN.com.

Really, he's a ball of clay that can be molded however a team needs. Clubs short on scoring from the wing, shooting from the 4, positional versatility at the forward spots or an active defender at almost any area could all have interest in bringing him on board.

To make things even sweeter, he won't cost much to keep around. He's making only $6.7 million this season, per ShamSports.com, and has a partial guarantee on his $7.1 million salary for 2015-16.

If he's such a valuable player, then, one might wonder why the Nuggets would be willing to give him up. To be clear, there are no concrete indications they are. Although, his name was mentioned as part of a package for perennial All-Star Kevin Love over the summer, and Basketball Insiders' Alex Kennedy reported the Nuggets had discussed dealing him away:

The Nuggets do seem to have all the characteristics of a willing trade partner.

At 10-12, Denver is decent. While that might not sound bad, it's one of the most damning diagnoses in hoops vernacular. The Nuggets aren't moving forward or falling back. They're sitting smack dab in the middle, too bad to make real postseason noise and too good to increase their draft lottery odds.

They have one of the deepest rosters in the league, but that's not necessarily a good thing. Shaw has so many different numbers he can call. The Nuggets have 14 players who have made at least 10 appearances this season, 13 of whom are averaging at least 11 minutes a night.

That gives Shaw the freedom to manage his rotation based on a particular matchup, but it also puts his players in tight spots.

"It's not a bad thing to have a deep team, but sometimes it kind of leaves things up in the air for players," forward Kenneth Faried told USA Today's Adi Joseph. "You really don't have time to feel the game out. You got to get going right away or someone else will take your place."

Chandler knows that as well as anyone.

Rocky Widner/Getty Images

While he's getting good minutes now, Chandler began the season backing up sharpshooter Danilo Gallinari. It took Chandler only two games to grab the starting gig for himself, but it's impossible to say his spot is secure.

As Shaw explained in November, per Dempsey, both Chandler and Gallinari were told the move would be temporary:

"

I did tell Gallo and Wilson, when I made the change to put Wilson in the starting lineup, that it wasn't going to be permanent. And so, now it's just a matter of when I feel confident enough in Gallo being back to where he was or close to where he was, to switch it back. But he's not there yet, and so we'll just leave it the way it is.

"

How's that for a vote of confidence?

The Nuggets would probably prefer to have Gallinari win back the job. He's a year younger than Chandler and significantly more expensive ($10.8 million this season, $11.5 million next season).

There's also a chance, even if it's remote, that Gallinari suddenly morphs into an offensive monster. The 26-year-old's three-point form is pure, his handles are tight and his basketball IQ grades out extremely well. He may never put it all together, but if he does, his ceiling is sky-high.

There isn't as much mystery with Chandler. He's a jack-of-all-trades, a guy who could look extremely valuable or rather underwhelming depending on the strength of his team. It's impressive that he has carved out such a prominent place on a crowded perimeter but telling that he isn't allowed to get too comfortable there.

The Nuggets seem ripe for a roster overhaul, and Chandler is a good enough asset that he could fetch something significant in return. If Denver is ready to go that route, Chandler would look really good as a stretch 4 for the Houston Rockets, a three-and-D wing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, a do-it-all forward for the Toronto Raptors or a perimeter scoring threat for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Truthfully, it's hard to think of many contenders who wouldn't be able to put Chandler to good use.

Only Denver knows what it would want in return.

A backup point guard would be nice with Nate Robinson (back) and Randy Foye (quad) on the shelf, and a low-post scorer would give this offense something it currently lacks. With the Nuggets looking so far removed from championship contention, they might prioritize young prospects or future draft picks—both of which a win-now contender could be willing to move.

This is going to require a few admissions on the Nuggets' end. They have to recognize the redundancies in their roster and realize their season isn't going the direction they had hoped.

Once those bridges are crossed, Denver should be willing to talk shop with any team interested in Chandler. Considering how many teams will be on that list, rival executives may want to start lining up now for a chance to land what could be one of this year's most impactful in-season additions.

Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.

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