JaVale McGee to 76ers: Latest Trade Details, Comments and Reaction
After spending the majority of four up-and-down seasons with the Denver Nuggets, center JaVale McGee is on the move, as Denver reportedly dealt him to the Philadelphia 76ers ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, the Nuggets sent the 27-year-old big man and a first-round draft pick to Philadelphia in a move to cut salary:
Ken Berger of CBS Sports reported that the pick is top-18 protected this year:
Despite some speculation to the contrary, Wojnarowski reported that the 76ers and McGee's agent B.J. Armstrong have not discussed a buyout, which should lead to the big man suiting up for Philadelphia this season.
Tom Moore of Calkins Media reported just how much money the Nuggets save in the deal:
ESPN's Arash Markazi reported that the player Denver was getting in return, center Cenk Akyol, is little more than a placeholder:
The 76ers will also be given the rights to Nigerian forward Chu Chu Maduabum, per Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports.
The past two years have been difficult for the 7-footer, as injuries have largely kept him off the court. He played in just five games last season after suffering a stress fracture in his leg. The 2014-15 campaign hasn't been much better, as a leg-muscle ailment has limited him to 17 contests.
Because of his lack of durability, McGee hasn't been used much this season. He is playing just 11.5 minutes per game and putting up subpar averages of 5.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 block per outing.
That type of production is a far cry from what he brought to the table from 2010 through 2013 with the Washington Wizards and Nuggets. He averaged at least two blocks per game for three consecutive seasons, and he was previously a regular double-figures scorer as well.
McGee has become lost in the shuffle in Denver, and with the Nuggets struggling to the tune of a 20-33 record, it doesn't come as a huge surprise that they wanted to move McGee.
According to Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post, McGee was one of the Nuggets' top preferences to move prior to the deadline due to his contract, which will pay him $12 million next season, per Spotrac.com.
With the current combination of talent clearly not working anymore in Denver, general manager Tim Connelly made it clear that he wanted to execute some changes, per Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post.
"We're very, very aggressive right now," Connelly said.
McGee's name had seemingly been on the trade block for quite some time. The Nuggets have been ready to move on, and they hoped to make the seventh-year veteran part of a bigger deal to bring in center Brook Lopez from the Brooklyn Nets, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein:
McGee was once one of the most feared rim protectors in the game, but that reputation has waned in recent years. He may still have the ability to play at that level, but he must stay healthy and remain on the court in order to do so.
His last full season was the 2012-13 campaign in which he put up respectable averages of 9.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and two blocks per game as a bench player.
If McGee can return to that type of production, then he still has a chance to be a useful NBA player for a long time since he is now firmly in his prime.
Quality centers are at a premium, so McGee will be given every chance to succeed and show that he can still contribute.
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