NBA Draft 2011: Portland Trades Andre Miller to Denver for Raymond Felton

Just moments after selecting Duke point guard Nolan Smith with the 21st pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers have reportedly traded point guard Andre Miller to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Raymond Felton.

Felton, who was, until now, serving as Ty Lawson's backup in Denver, will get the chance to once again lead an NBA team from the point-guard position. 

Meanwhile, Andre Miller returns to Denver after being traded for Allen Iverson several seasons ago.

Miller should serve as a solid mentor to Lawson, a rising star who broke out last season after the trade of Chauncey Billups to the Knicks in the trade that pushed the Nuggets past the Carmelo Anthony era. 

The Blazers may have received their point-guard of the future in Felton, a solid-defender and distributor who will be able to stretch the floor more than Miller. The Nuggets, meanwhile, acquire a veteran presence in Andre Miller, who will likely play behind, and occasionally with, Lawson.

Denver selected Kenneth Faried, the NCAA's leading rebounder last season, with the 22nd pick in the draft. Faried has a relentless motor and has been compared to NBA legend Dennis Rodman, and could be the future for the Nuggets at the power forward position. 

Although initial reports suggested that Portland and Denver may have also swapped first-round picks in the trade, which would have resulted in Smith going to the Denver Nuggets and Faried heading to Portland, it appears this is not the case. 

UPDATE: Portland has also traded shooting-guard Rudy Fernandez to the Dallas Mavericks, in exchange for the 26th pick in the draft, Jordan Hamilton, who the Blazers have sent to the Nuggets as party of the Miller-Felton deal. Dallas also sent the 57th pick in the draft to Portland, while receiving the rights to Petteri Koponen, a Finnish point-guard. Fernandez should compete for the starting shooting guard job on the Mavericks, who are coming off their first title in franchise history.