Nuggets Trade Nene for JaVale McGee [Updated]

March 15, 2012
by Jeremy

In a shocking trade deadline move the Denver Nuggets have agreed to trade Nene for Wizard’s center JaVale McGee.  Nene has been struggling this season and his contract is bound to get onerous as he gets into his 30′s and McGee is a uber-athletic center who will be great running the floor and is a much better rebounder and shot blocker than Nene.

In the long run it probably is a decent trade for Denver, McGee is entering his prime while Nene is exiting his, but McGee has shown significant shortcomings on both ends of the floor.  Plus he wants a contract averaging $14 million a year after this season.

Check back throughout the afternoon and evening for more thoughts on the trade and make sure you leave your comments below.

Meanwhile, enjoy seeing McGee run to the other end of the court after his team gets an offensive rebound.

Update: 2:14 PM MDST - Benjamin Hochman is reporting that Ronny Turiaf’s expiring $4.3 million contract was included to make the salaries match. Turiaf is a very good defender. I think Karl will like him.

Update: 4:49 PM MDST - John Hollinger is speculating that Denver might have been able to fit the salaries of McGee and Turiaf into the TPE from the draft night Felton trade (Insider required).  If that is the case, they get a $13 million TPE out of Nene.  Denver has never used one of their big TPEs for a big acquisition, but they are very good at picking up solid pieces here and there.

Marc Stein is reporting that the Nuggets are close to coming to terms with Wilson Chandler on a five year, $30 million plus deal with a team option on the fifth season.

Regardless of how you feel about trading Nene, it is clear Denver is in a better financial situation than they were yesterday, and if they sign Chandler I am confident in saying they are a better team going forward.

Update: 6:19 PM MDST (by Charlie)

I think I speak for everyone here when I say that was quite a shocker. Minutes after the trade deadline “officially” passed, word came out that Denver traded its highest paid player for two expiring contacts and no picks.

It’s an incredibly shrewd move for a young front office that hasn’t been the least bit shy about spending. I thought some of Josh Kroenke’s and Masai Ujiri’s inexperienced showed over the summer when they went on an all-out spending binge to reassemble a team that realistically did not prove it was capable of advancing past the first round.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the front office has done a fantastic job building around a young core of talent, but there were warning signs from the start of the season that this team was headed in the wrong direction. Denver’s promising young rookies were withering away on the bench while George Karl had to manage a juggling act of developing talent and trying to get his big money cornerstones to live up to their contracts.

The end result was a mismatched roster who barely played hard and didn’t seem to  know if they were coming or going. If the goal was to win now, Denver was clearly missing several key pieces to even think about contending for the West. If the goal is to develop a young, stable core for continued success , the Nuggets were doing a poor job considering none of the best young players even saw the court.

Being faced with trying to re-sign Wilson Chandler was a wake up call. Denver had blown all of their flexibility just as soon as they acquired it. Retaining the current core while trying to add Chandler and a newly extended Lawson would not only push them dangerously close to luxury tax territory, it would probably still leave significant holes in the roster without much flexibility to fill them all.

So Nene is salary dumped. Denver’s prized Center they spent a decade developing turned into a big money mistake and the enigmatic JaVale McGee. I think McGee is a good player, but considering where the Nuggets are headed it’s hard to say with any sort of certainty that retaining him should be part of the plan. There just isn’t enough time to evaluate. This deal was about getting out of Nene’s contract and committing to Kenneth Faried.

That’s what’s so beautiful about this trade. Denver’s previous front office regime didn’t have nearly enough nerve to admit a mistake soon after they made one. The Nuggets have been so afraid about being a bad team they’ve sacrificed their future time and time again for the sake of being respectable right now.

Make no mistake, the Nuggets took a step back today with this trade. In a tough playoff series you want Nene over JaVale McGee ten times out of ten no matter who else is on your team.

The good news is Denver has the youth and depth to pick up the pieces and move forward. Financially, they are so much better off that even if this no-superstar gamble doesn’t work out, the Nuggets have the means to keep improving. They’re no longer making five-year commitments for the sake of what’s best for the team this year and the next.

It’s a tough lesson learned, but one that will probably end up a lot less costly than it should have been.

Posted on March 15, 2012 at 2:05 pm | filed in Analysis, Breaking News | 110 Comments
  • Murguz

    Seriously, are you joking??? He is dumb, out of mind player!!! It’s rumored that he wants 14 million a year!!! Plus he doesn’t know what he is doing on the floor!!!!!

    • http://www.barn5280.com Andy

      Have you ever seen McGee play or are you just basing everything off the one or two stupid highlights they show on SportsCenter? If he is focused, McGee can be a MUCH better player than Nene ever has been.

      • Murguz

        Man, I’m from Azerbaijan, I can’t watch every NBA game, but I certainly know that McGee is not the type of player we need. But anyway, I think it’s a good trade for us in terms of cap space and long-term perspective.

        • Alex

          Overall good trade for Denver. They get 2 good defenders in Turiaf and McGhee and they shed a guy who they made a huge mistake with paying as much as they did as Nene is on the downside of his career. They do NOT need Nene’s offense and they have just strengthened their biggest problem which is defense. Is McGhee a nutcase? Yeah, but it did not help that he was in Washington. Karl may be able to get his head screwed on straight. And if he can’t, then the Nuggets have just cleared a ton of cap room over the next several years when Turiaf and McGhee are off their books next year – something they have to do if they want to comfortably bring back Chandler and add another high caliber player.

          • Jacob

            McGee is not as good a defender as everybody seems to think he is. He blocks shots, yes, but he is constantly out of position and doesn’t understand help defense.

            His defensive +/- have been horrible.

            Still… That doesn’t make it a bad trade.

            • Jacob

              Also, why is everybody ecstatic about the Chandler signing? What’s so great about committing to a league-average SF when you already have a good one?

    • asdqqq

      I read a report somewhere where he denied that rumour. I’ll try and find it again.

  • http://www.barn5280.com Andy

    Judging from Twitter, I seem to be one of the only fans that like this trade from a Nuggets perspective. Nene was due $13 million a year for 4 more years and is 30 years old already. McGee is signed through next season for minimal money, is only 24 and a much better rebounder and shot blocker than Nene. Plus Nene has a PER that is nearly 3 points less than McGee this season and matches up pretty even for their careers. Nene’s contract was going to be a mess after a year or two. This move opens up some contract space for Wilson Chandler and some playing time for Faried. Good move Masai.

    • doktarr

      You’re not the only one, Andy. McGee can give the Nuggets the dimension that other Western contenders get from DeAndre Jordan, Andrew Bynum, and Serge Ibaka.

      Yes, he’s a space cadet, but honestly, speaking as a D.C. native whose two favorite teams are the Nuggets and Wizards… the situation in DC is so dysfunctional that it’s unfair to consider McGee a lost cause. He might turn into a borderline star in the right situation. Maybe Denver can be that situation. If so, then this shrewd salary cap move also becomes a fantastic team-building move.

  • shaun

    What are the nuggets doing? Seems like wanting to rebuild but not want ing to spend big money on a superstar?

  • Tony

    Seems as if the nuggets are making salary room to sign Chandler to his long term deal he has been pushing for. Bet it happens by tomorrow.

    • bayesk

      bet you’re right

    • Alex

      Yup, you called it. If this deal means they sign Chandler, then it was a great move cause I think Chandler is on the cusp of being a really great player. So I think that everyone has to consider that this was really a Nene for Wilson trade.

  • Marc

    HORRIBLE MOVE. MASAI IS OFF HIS F***ING KNOCKER. Feel horrible for Nene and the whole team, so much for believing in TEAM CHEMISTRY

  • Kyle Obergfell

    I like it. McGee may be dumb, but he knows that right now..
    it’s audition time. He has no choice but to play his ass off
    in order to get the deal he thinks he deserves.

  • Matt

    Great move. We need defense and rebounding out of that position, not scoring. Stupid is better than soft in this instance.

    • Ryan

      couldn’t have put it better. I’ve been floating on air since I found out that I don’t have to watch Nene waltz around the court putting forth as much effort as a corpse and sitting out every 3rd game because he has an ouchie. Great move by Ujiri!

  • Dubz

    I’m mixed on this trade. On one hand it’s nice to have the salary dump because Nene was NEVER going to live up to that contract. On the other hand, I feel like the Nuggets could have gotten more for Nene. At the very least, the Wizards should have included a future 1st rounder you’d think. That way the Nuggets could bundle together some picks/assets and move up in this years draft which is full of talented bigs. If the Nuggets use this money to sign Chandler, I’m all for it. This frees up PT for Faried and Koufos and will open up a spot for Chandler in the rotation. It’s all about how the Nuggets use this flexibility moving forward.

  • Matic

    I am still in S.H.O.C.K. I mean what the hell? Maybe longterm, I can swallow this trade, but in this moment, I dont know what to say. I read about one rumour, that Nene is having big problem with his ankle. And dont forget, Nene is a powerful and strong PF, that uses his feet much more than others..

    Lets hope, Karl can transform McGee`s mind and play, so that he can be any good.

    There are some pluses. Turiaf is a good defender and good 10 minute rotation and now we have loads of salary cap, to sign Chandler and to sign 1 more good player in the summer..

  • George

    I agree with Alan. I think this is a good move. I bet with the change in environment and the inclusion onto a more disciplined team McGee will settle down and be very productive for us (more than Nene was) this season. The salary dump that also happens in this trade I think leaves the front office the ability to do something that we’re not expecting. Give Masai the benefit of the doubt. Has he made a bad move lately? I think with the atheticism that he puts on the floor with Faried will open up some extra second chance points.

    • George

      Sorry, I meant Andy, not Alan…my bad Andy.

  • Prizzy

    This is a vote of confidence for the Manimal, where the 4 is his natural position and Nene didn’t want any part of playing the 5. In his last 5 games McGee has put up 4 double doubles including something like a 26/17 night. If he gels with our team and flow of play I think this is the push we need to get a good seed and not face OKC or SA to start the playoffs.

  • bayesk

    this is good for the nuggets, mid- to long-term. hate to see Nenê go; seems like a great guy, good player, wish him nothing but the best. shame for the family; wife’s from Denver, no? and I heard he really likes/liked living in Colorado. i got the impression that he was glad to come to terms with the Nuggets. funny to think that he’s the odd man out from our front court.

  • Murguz

    Nuggets also get 2nd round pick!

    • Ryan

      No, Wizards get the 2nd rounder

  • Bobby W

    I love this move. Nene never rebounded or played with ferocity. Our frontcourt was better with Koufos and Faried playing. I am just shocked the Nuggs made the move.

  • jim

    i think this is an awesome move again by Masai. He’s a real center, $10mil less than Nene a year this year and next, more points/more rebounds/more blocks, six years younger.

    it means we are probably signing chandler and still under cap. with all kinds of options after that. i hope he plays his way into even pretending to talk about $14 mil a year.

    i liked nene but it wasn’t going to happen. this move is serious and bold. who knows if it works out.

  • ny nugs fan

    can’t say i disagree w/ this trade

    wont change positive or negative how we finish the year and compete in the playoffs; if anything it’ll help us against the likes of serge ibaka and bynum/gasol

    nene spends a lot of time complaining to the refs man

  • a_roth

    I loved Nene, but since we have a new player with dreadlocks, I guess I will just have to trust Masai and hope that GK will help McGee mature a little and how to put more effort in on the defensive end (other than just blocks). This is a high-risk, high-reward move and I hope it pays off for Denver in the form of more production for less $.

  • http://yAHOO steve

    I like this trade,Denver has plenty of scoring and Javal is a good defender, block shots and very good rebounder. Makes Nuggets better defnesive team, if Chandler signs i think denver can go far in the west. hate to See Nene go , but its business. Very good move!!

  • ronsprings

    I think the Nuggets realized that Nene’s health was not going to hold up and the Wizards are the only team dumb enough to take him and his salary. They really let us off the hook. Thanks Wiz!

  • bayesk

    seems like a big win-win for masai: many of us thought the Nenê contract was overreaching; tons of space/chances to sign Chandler and/or others; McGee’s not gouge-your-eyes-out bad all the time, just a few times a month; his contract is tiny and expiring ($2.5 this year, $3.5 qualifying offer).
    if McGee turns out to be a player, great. If not, we’ve got good bigs already, trade him or let him walk, and we come out from under Nenê’s deal.

    • eddi0

      Agreed, I think this is pure genius from Masai. We had evidenced that Nene’s $12M/year was clearly overpaying for talent (12 pts/7 rebounds). Now we have incredible flexibility financially and from a personnel standpoint. We will sign Chandler very soon now and he can either start at PF or be the 6th man (or have Faried start at PF). McGee is insanely talented but he has had problems with focus in the past (very similar to Michael Beasley). Guy can jump out of the gym (block shots/rebounds) but is limited offensively except for around the rim. He’s restricted though so even if he creates a bad situation for us we are in pole position for any trades.

      Chandler and Faried at the PF will be absolutely amazing to watch…both guys are very talented (but very complementary).

      The Swiss Army knife team just got a lot sharper today.

      Masai for president 2012! Christmas in March?

  • Kyle Obergfell

    A year ago, I would have been heartbroken.
    Nene faded big time in the last month of the
    season and playoffs.
    I think watching him being taken out by a
    backup point guard on the Gallo 3 cemented t.
    Nuggets were very good to Nene.
    Nene held them hostage a bit before the season.
    A year ago, I would have been heartbroken.
    Today, I am so over Nene.
    Good luck and all.. but buh bye.

  • Sullivan

    I love this trade. Nene often did not finish around the basket. Nene defense was suspect. And, in my opinion, he did not bring it on a nightly basis. George Karl was quoted that he asks from his players to play hard and play defense. The Nugs defense creates offense. McGee will be a pleasant addition. You could sense something was going to happen when Kosta was signed to a 3 year deal. My guess was Birdman. But, they may amnesty his contract. Way to go Massai.

  • al68

    Buena suerte Nene.

    Creo que esta intercambio a corto plazo es malo, Nene es un jugador solido buen defensor y aunque cogia pocos rebotes peleaba mucho y permitia que otros los cogieran.

    JaVale es intimidador algo que necesitamos, pero aunque promedie mas rebotes no creo que el equipo vaya a cojer mas rebotes en el futuro, ya lo veremos, ademas su inteligencia en el campo es parecida a la de un mosquito, aunque se puede beneficiar de un gran pasador como Miller. Si GK sabe hacer de él un jugador mas concentrado y listo en el campo podría ser un gran center aunque lo veo poco probable.

    Lo mejor, se crea un gran espacio salarial para el futuro y se deja camino libre a Faried para que se desarrolle.

    Movimiento arriesgado esperemos que salga bien.

  • FinazzAus

    This move is all about getting cap space next year and not bring a tax pausing team the following year when the high tax rates came into effect. It gives us flexibility to make moves in the off season.
    Both contact we picked up are expiring. McGee is a QO this Sumer but someone is bound to offer him more then the $3.5m which is his quility offer, and if they don’t Denver gets him for a bargain price of $3.5m.

    I think this shows that Denver’s FO has faith in faired going forward.

  • HermanVanNess

    I’m loving this. Nene is soft, plain and simple. In Denver’s system all McGee is going to need to do is run the floor and block shots. By doing those two things he will be better than Nene. He’s second in the league in blocked shots and is one of the better rebounders per minute in the league (almost 9 in 27 minutes).

    I’d rather have a young, true 7 footer that will average a double-double plus 2.5 blocks and be a defensive presence. McGee and Faried are going to be beastly on defense and on the boards.

  • Omar

    dang…… i feel like crying. think it is a good long term trade, but i still remember how happy i was when nene re-signed. Also don’t we now have 15 guys on the roster. we had 14 and we traded one and received two. so someone needs to go if we plan to re-sign chandler.

  • FinazzAus

    Just one other thing. We can not sign chandler now because we have 15 players on the roster. I will find out when the cut off for waiving players is. But this move could prevent chandler coming here this year.

    • Ricardo

      Turiaf may be bought out before they sign Chandler.

  • Peter

    I LOVE this trade! Worst case scenario McGee has a bad attitude and is a bad fit, is gone at the end of the year and we have cap room to get somebody else. Best case scenario? Well now Faried can start at the 4, McGee can give us our first legit center since Marcus Camby and we no longer need to start Timofey Mozgov. Denver likes to run so I’m sure Lawson will provide plenty of looks for McGee on the break and now we become much better defensively and rebouding wise. Now we are a much more conventional basketball team. Don’t get me wrong, I love Nene as a person, but he was a tweener. I really like out team moving forward. Thank you Massai!!!

  • DH

    ESPN is reporting that we are very, very close to signing Chandler -at a reasonable price of around $30M for 5 years (fifth year is a team option). They say the main reasons for trading Nene were to be able to sign Chandler and to make sure we can extend Lawson when the time comes. I agree that this is a vote of confidence for Faried. Also, I think it says that we like the potential of Moz and Koufos. And the FO might be sick of small ball. I can’t see Karl using a Harrington/Faried crunch time front court lineup, although I guess nothing would surprise me.

  • asdqqq

    Anyone clear on who gets the second round pick (NOH’s 2015 2nd rounder via LAC) in the deal? Not a big deal, but I’ve seen it going to both the Nuggets and the Wizards.

    • Aaron

      Pretty Sure We Do, Not 100% Sure But I Think I Heard That We Get It..

  • Jim

    This is one of the worst trade ever! Nene is a top center in the League and that has been one of the main sources of sucess on this new Nuggets with no superstar.
    McGee is just athleticism, nothing else.

  • Fong

    Well I didn’t care for Nene’s salary or playing style so I think it’s a good move to move him but what we got in return is a bit small for my liking. 2 players and a second round draft pick is eh? Can’t we have gotten a 1st rounder instead? He might be worth that much at least. I have no clue about the two other players but they better get Chandler to sign or else this would be a gift to the Wizards.

  • GK4Prez

    14 man roster before the day started, the Nuggets sent out 1 player and brought back 2 and then signed another one. 14-1=13+2=15+1=16 Turiaff will probably be bought out of his deal to get down to the max 15? Is that even legal to do in the new CBA or does someone else need to be waived? Or will the Nuggets buy Turiaff out and then announce the Chandler signing?

    I am a big time Nene fan, but I like this trade for some strange reason.

  • Ernie

    This is the 3rd center that Masai has traded for in the past 13 months. I am convinced he thinks if we get enough centers that GK will no longer be able to play small. He might be right!

    • Aaron

      Lol Just Trade Miller Then Ujiri!

  • Aaron

    It’s time for Manimal/Mosgov downlow. Gallo can guard Durant or other wing 4′s. Manimal can eat rebounds.

    I like this trade, and all it costs us is 1st quarter scoring (nene was really unpredictable after that). We’ll have to have AAA, Gallo, and Mozzy hit for 6-8 in the first quarter and that will be that as far as “replacing” Nene. Loved the guy, but too inconsistent.

    McGee and Turiaf are not important. . this is about freeing Manimal. . McGee can give some minutes off the bench which will be an upgrade from Bird. I think we’ll sit Jordan H., or J.Stone for Wilson Chandler, so don’t sweat the roster limit.

    Plus, Turiaf is still hurt right? I don’t think he plays until next year. . has a sprained wrist or something. So, he’s not on the 15 currently, right?

    • GK4Prez

      I would start Javale over Koufos or Mozgov, GK probably won’t, but I would.

  • GK4Prez
    • bayesk

      wow

  • Dubz

    Nuggets about to sign chandler to 5 year deal worth roughly $30 million. I friggin love Masai right now. Brilliant.

  • Ricardo

    I like this trade, the nuggets needed to get better in the center position and McGEE was a player I wanted the nuggets to trade for and they did. He’s going to be a good complement with Faried in the front-court when they play together. Now the nuggets has to get Chandler signed to a long-term contract and this team could be dangerous heading into the playoffs.

  • @natenutzclement

    from John Hollinger: and I completely agree 110%. #freeFaried
    Additionally, the Nuggets will get a huge trade exception out of this. If my cap math is right, they can slot both Turiaf and McGee just inside the $7 million exception left over from the Raymond Felton deal (seriously, how giddy must the Nuggets be about that trade?), and thus can do a straight deal of Nene into a $13 million exception.
    Basically, they amnestied Nene and got players back.

    So while I’d rather have Nene than McGee today, I’m not sure that’s true three years from now. And when you look at all the other cap management considerations, this is a nice deal for Denver.

    • the other jim

      boom. totally agree right here.

  • Ernie

    Given the contracts were expiring I think this essentially is saying they made a mistake signing Nene. This way they got his services for a few months to see if a signing and playing the 4 would generate better production. It didn’t so they cut their losses.

    If there had been a trade before the season the Nugs would not have gotten much more than a 24 year old center who could be Tyson Chandler in a few years (remember Chandler was just a shot blocker and rebounder, though less of a knucklehead). I don’t remember sign and trades generating much of anything with other teams.

  • dynamo.joe

    So, this is what “beware the ides of March” means?

    I wonder if the Brazilian ambassador has invited Nene to dinner at the embassy yet?

  • Coxy

    I would start McGee over moz all day. What I take from this deal is that gallo needs to really work on a post offense game over the offseason. We now don’t have a player to dump the ball into on the block as a scapegoat on offense. I’m not saying he needs to be dirk. But if he can get a reliable post game happening along with moz or mcgee developing a post hook then that should cover what nene gave us. And nene wasn’t great at it so its not much to account for.

  • Kyle Obergfell

    Chandler signs!!!!
    YES!!! Masai and front office hit a grand slam today!
    BRILLIANT, AWESOME DAYS AHEAD!!!
    http://www.denverstiffs.com/photos/stein-nuggets-reach-long-term-deal-with-wilson-chandler

    • DH

      Maybe I’m missing something, but only see that Stein has said that the Nuggets are very close to a deal. I don’t see where he says a deal is done. Either way, it sounds like it will get done.

  • Forsythe P Jones

    I agree with most of the comments here. I’ve got a lot of love for Nene, but that contract was bound to be an albatross in another year or two (and untradeable)and it’s more important to lock up Lawson, et al. Plus, they get Chandler back, and have bodies they can bang up front for minutes at a time. Nene can be replaced.
    Masai really does impress me with his ability to look not only at the present situation, but the future as well. It’s pretty clear the Nuggets are the best-run team in town.

  • Nuggets fan since 1976

    I have watched most Nuggs games since the early 80′s back when Fat Lever, Alex English, Calvin Natt, Dan Issel, and Hanzlik and other old timers used to run the show. I left Colorado after college, but thanks to the NBA ticket have remained an avid Nuggs fan watching most games. Unfortunatley the loyalty to the fans is completely gone from the game from both management and the players. The Nuggs did Chancey wrong last season and have now done it to Nene, just as Carmelo did it to us, and it happens all over the league. So now we have Moz, Birdman, Kofus, and Mcghee which are all similar in many ways. I would rather give it to Nene all day in the post and watch him go old school. Guess he will be doing it to us now when we face the Wiz.

    • Forsythe P Jones

      Chauncey had to be involved in that trade to make the dollars work. That’s the way the market works, and while I dig Chauncey, it was time for Ty Lawson to take over the point for the team, anyway. NBA is a business for players and front office, always has been, always will be. Lotta love for Nene here, too, but his contract status, injury history, and frankly unremarkable numbers for a big man make him easily replaceable. I hope he has a great time in Washington. I certainly wasn’t expecting this trade to happen, as there were literally no rumors about it at all.

    • GK4Prez

      76, there really wasn’t much loyalty back then either. English, Lever, Skywalker, etc… were all shipped out. Like you, I enjoyed the hell out of those teams and I am also a big Nene fan, but how loyal do you think he really was? He played the Nuggets all summer long and I still think that if the Gasol to the Rockets deal would have gone through Nene would be a Rocket or a Net if they would have offered him a deal.

      The only team that was really offering anything for him was Indy and they didn’t want to spend to get him.

      Nene does/did do a lot of the little things that will be missed by the team, but he also disappeared from game to game, half to half, and quarter to quarter. Rarely did he put a stretch of consecutive good outings together.

      It was a mystery as to what Nene was going to show up. You could also pretty much predetermine what kind of game he would have based on the match up. If he played against a player with more length, he was likely going to struggle. He signed a big contract and came in out of shape where is the loyalty or dedication in that?

      • Ryan

        Completely agree. The highest-paid player needs to be a leader, not an overweight softie who only plays when he feels like it

    • Dubz

      I love Nene too, but if by “old school” you mean a 6’11 big tip toeing and finger rolling around the paint, then I’d rather have “new school” guys. The Nuggets obviously wanted Nene around for the long term or they wouldn’t have signed him to that huge contract. He just never got out of his ballet slippers and forced the Nuggets hand.

  • http://nugznazty.wordpress.com/ Owen

    One thing I’m really enjoying reading here is that we actually see ourselves as a “disciplined team” who doesn’t need a “headcase”. This is the first time in like a decade that this has been part of the debate…
    Anyways my 2 pennies are that this is a great trade. Nene wasn’t worth the money. READING NOW WE GOT CHANDLER, FINALLY PERIMETER DEFENSEEEEEE

  • John

    I am shocked! This trade is going to be great for the nuggets. Javale will be much better than nene and can dominate defensively. Nene has not lived up to expectations hate to see him go but I think this trade gives us depth to make deep run into playoffs

    • al68

      Defensa no son solo tapones (block shot), yo pienso que nene es mejor defensor pero menos intimidador ademas el carisma de JaVale es cero para mi es mucho mejor jugador nene que javale.

  • ny nugs fan

    says: “John Hollinger is speculating that Denver might have been able to fit the salaries of McGee and Turiaf into the TPE from the draft night Felton trade (Insider required).”

    since i can’t afford Insider could somebody plainly explain what the heck a TPE is?

    • Forsythe P Jones

      Trade exception. I can’t accurately explain what that entails, but at least you can google that and probably get a reasonable answer.

  • John

    No hablar espanol

    • al68

      Sorry I dont speak english please use google tranlator.
      Thanks.

      Defender isnt blocker shot player. I think that nene is better defender than Javale.

      Al68.

  • Aaron

    Can we get a confirm that Turiaf is currently injured?

    • GK4Prez

      I know he has been out all year with a broken arm, and to my knowledge he hasn’t played a game this year. I don’t know when he is scheduled to return or anything, but I am going to assume that the Nuggets will buy him out of his contract if the Chandler ready to sign news is accurate.

      I also think that the Nuggets were interested in getting Turiaff in the offseason from the Knicks before he was traded to the Wizards. I know there were some reports on it, but that was before Nene signed.

  • Ryan

    I want a 14 mill per year contract too. Doesn’t mean its going to happen. I bet the Nuggs are able to bring him back for MUCH less.

    • DH

      Or maybe sign and trade if our young centers show improvement.

  • Lane

    I can’t see anything bad about this trade. For those thinking we could have gotten more for Nene, who was offering to give him that contract last December? They’re not going to want him more now after more injuries. I saw an analyst say they Amnestied Nene’s bad contract and got a player with potential and defense back. That’s a great move

  • Eyes Open

    You Denver fans need to think about a few things…Nene is good and all, but with the money you will be saving as well as Kenneth Faried developing into a good big man, you won’t be missing much. I doubt any team will give McGee the money he is looking for, but for now he definitely beefs up the defense. Denver is very impressive this season…they are a complete team…#1 in scoring and assist and #5 in rebounding. What they need now is better defense and they are SCARY in the playoffs!

  • Ernie

    This team just got: taller, dumber, cheaper, thinner, younger, less focused, healthier, better at defending the rim and worse on the offensive post. I honestly have no idea if it will work. But it will be different.

    • Kyle Obergfell

      Did you forget that we got Wilson Chandler? IDK.. that might neutralize what we did lose in Nene scoring.. which at what.. 13ppg.. is probably more than compensated by Chandler’s 15ppg..
      On paper.. if only on paper.. no brainer.. we will see.
      But I love the trade, especially after Nene’s defensive no-show vs Hawks.

      • Bobby W

        It will be nice to have a shot blocker protecting the rim. Nene had plenty of defensive no shows this year. He is a decent man on man but awful when it comes to rotating

      • Ernie

        Wilson Chandler is a different type of scoring, which probably takes away from Gallo and Brewer more than adds to what were Nene’s minutes.

  • J.J.

    I agree Ernie, but f I had to guess, I think we will be worse overall (though that will be masked somewhat if we sign Chandler). Nene’s unfulfilled potential and soft play was incredibly frustrating, but if you look at what you actually got from him, rather than what you thought we should get, it was pretty good. As SI’s Amick said, a solid B+ player. Reasonable numbers (for his role on the team), generally good D (especially on the pick and roll), very good passer, and solid all-around player good for team chemistry. Yeah, he made too much dough, but decent big guys get paid.

    I think McGee is a slightly younger, more athletic Birdman. Great shotblocker, but a bad one-on-one and team defender, and I think he will get abused on the pick-and-roll. Plus, he has already demonstrated that he is a J.R. Smith-level head case. Not optimistic.

    WIth Nene and the rest of the team healthy, I think they were closer to the 14-5 team that started the season than how they’ve been playing lately. I wish they’d given that team longer to gel. Maybe not a championship team, but really good and fun to watch. Most people will never say it, but I think we’ll miss Nene.

    Really good guy, too, which counts for something.

    • Ernie

      “Most people will never say it, but I think we’ll miss Nene.”

      Actually, I think most people will miss Nene and are saying it. I enjoyed having him on our team and rooting for him. When he was great he looked like Karl Malone with more quickness. He just didn’t seem to have that alpha dog personality, and that’s why he never scored 30 points in a game despite great quickness, a reliable shot and 6’11″ height with bulk.

  • JBall

    The Nuggets are the laughing stock of the league with this trade. They willingly traded a ‘solid B’ center for Mcgee. Hilarious. As a long suffering Wizards fan Mcgee is simply clueless on defense. (Even ignoring his more obvious highlights) This will be exposed by pretty much any team in the west over a 7 game playoff series. Thanks for taking him off our hands!

    • Kyle Obergfell

      Really? And are you sure you got what you needed in Nene’s mega-deal which goes through 2016 at $13M a year? McGee can walk at the end of the season. We picked up Wilson Chandler cheap.. You.. on the other hand.. are stuck. I hope it works out for you .. Nene is in his 9th year. And you’re stuck for 4 more after this one.
      Nuggets also lead NBA in offense.
      And really what’s sad for you is.. the Wizards rank 29th on defense in the NBA.. Nuggets only a step up at 28th.

      One team just got better.. one team just got even worse.

      Good luck with that…

    • Jeff

      Even if he’s clueless on defense, we now have 3 7 footers so he’s kind of expendable. We cleared a lot of cap space. The Nuggets are definitely not the laughing stock of the league, you’ll see.

    • Jeff

      Besides, Denver played half the season without Nene anyways. Now we’re just getting something for it.

  • http://roundballminingcompany.com Mark from Charlotte

    GREAT MOVE

  • Thomas

    I’m here seeing the OKC game and I still get to see GK play his dumbnut line-ups with Harrington immediately subbing for Faried, along with Andre and Rudy. Next thing you know, there is no defense and we are down big.

    Couldn’t we get rid of Karl while we are doing great moves, Masai? We could get Nate McMillan. What about trading Andre, Harrington and Rudy for a bag of peanuts.

    Getting rid of Nene is a first step. It at least shows that Karl has no say whatsoever.

  • Eddie

    I am beginning to believe Masai is an evil genius bent on world domination.

    I see him in his underground lair with his faithful sidekick Joshy-Boy, plotting the takeover.

    “How ’bout we take a good player, overpay him to inflate his value, play him up as a major cog in our machine, then trade him and clear some major room so we can sign a better player in the future?”

    Joshy-Boy pauses pushing the gilded broom his father handed him. He gazes with affection at Masai.
    “Sounds good to me, Boss.”

    “Yes, it is good, Joshy-Boy. Verry good indeed! Hahahaha!!!!”

    The genius saunters off to get a new custom tailored, very dapper suit, possibly crafted out of the wool he pulled over everyone’s eyes.

  • Daniel

    Happy Day. Denver may not be better today, but they are better for the foreseeable future. Nene’s contract reminded me a lot of a Kenyon Martin’s ridiculous contract. I love Nene, great guy, loves Denver, but once you start involving emotion you are stuck with mediocre players with inflated salaries. Nene clearly has underperformed this year and he is not getting any healthier or younger.

    Mcghee has nothing but potential at this point. I feel like he’ll fit the run n’ gun GK style and crash the boards with Manimal. It will be an interesting rest of the season with this inexperienced frontcourt but im excited to see what a change of scenery will do for Javale.

    As for Wilson Chandler, what are we going to do with the plethora of wing players? Gallo, Brewer, Rudy, Jham, and now Wilson. I don’t think Chandler will do too well playing the four for long periods of time. Oh well, I’m not doubting the front office.

    In Masai I trust! Go Nuggets!!!

    • Daniel

      Just listening to Masai talking about Javale Mcghee, he seems positive about the youth movement and Javale is excited to come to Denver for a fresh start. Playing for the worst team in the NBA does very little for young players confidence and work ethic.

      Also B.J. Armstrong is his agent…kinda cool.

  • Golden Fan

    Are you kidding me? McGee is hands down a better player than Nene. At this point we need D-E-F-E-N-S-E, and in his stay, Nene has been not that. He is too wimpy and afraid to bang with the guys just to play great defense. On offense, Nene may be better but what we have seen in this season with respect to his CORRUPT contract, he hasn’t changed. With 67M bucks, he is supposed to be at least an all-star. If not, a 20-10 all-star snub.
    Face it:
    -On defense, JaVale is better
    -On offense, Nene is better but on aggressiveness, it’s JaVale (Nene seems to be lost when he has the ball)
    -On rebounding, unanimously it’s JaVale
    -On shot-blocking, of course it’s the Commander-in-Chief!!!!

  • Sam Adhikari

    Nene was massively overpaid for his talent. $13M a year for the next 4 years when he’s averaging 12 pts, 7 rebs a game? And he’s 30 already!

    The only concern I have is the lack of post presence offensively. Faried and McGee are perfect players for a shortened regular season, but when the playoff comes & the game slows down, Nuggets are going to need some scoring in the paint. Faried and Nene can’t make jumpshots nor they have any post moves. I gotta be honest, I was disappointed that the Nuggets didn’t try to go for Josh Smith.

  • Tom

    Lost in all of this “good trade” talk is the fact that Nene was arguably the best player on the Nuggets, and we traded him for a basket-case that wants $14 mil/year and will probably walk after this season. If we were going to trade Nene, it would have been better to package him with, say, Lawson and a pick to get Deron Williams or something like that. We have plenty of depth, so what we really should have done is trade some of that depth for a higher-quality guy. Instead, we did a salary dump and got a guy who isn’t that great and will probably be in GK’s doghouse in no time.

    This trade is good for saving money, but not for winning games. If you think that us being able to sign Chandler now makes us significantly better, you’re dreaming. Chandler will probably take most of Brewer’s minutes, but he’s not a significant upgrade.

    I understand why, but I’m still disappointed.

  • Hangtime

    Awesome news. I’ve been a Nene hater for years, ever since I finally realized how over paid and over rated this guy was. If you’re 6’11″, 260 and muscled like Tarzan but can’t outrbound you’re 5’11″ point guard many nights, you’re certainly not star material, or even starter material IMO. McGee has natural talent Nene doesn’t in terms of being a renbounder and shot blocker, the one thing missing most on this team, which is an interior post defender who can alter shots. We are now in much better financial position going forward and kudos to Ujiri who is rapidly demonstrating he has the knack for judging talent and making shrewed moves. This one will be terriffic if this guy matures a little and starts developing. I can’t see he had much chance to do that in Washington and if Karl can keep him focused we could have a big man able to defend inside that we’ve lacked.

  • FennisDembo

    My kids have been brought up thinking Nene’s full name is..

    “dunk the f’ing ball Nene!!!!!”

  • MaybeADingoAteYourNene

    I am so glad big baby is gone. For years he pulls that crap where he just goes away in the 4th. And we were supposed to pay 13 mil for that! Nene thought he was disrespected because the Nuggets didn’t offer him big $ last season. Guess that was nothing compared to going to our nations slum/capital.


Array