According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Denver Nuggets have traded Emmanuel Mudiay to the New York Knicks in a three-team deal that will bring back Devin Harris from the Dallas Mavericks.
Mudiay was the 7th pick in the 2015 NBA draft and marked the beginning of the current era of Mile High Basketball. He was somewhat unofficially made the face of the franchise shortly after, appearing at the forefront of most promotional materials becoming a fan favorite his rookie season. A disappointing sophomore season finished with Mudiay being demoted to the end of the bench in late January. This season, Mudiay began the year as the backup point guard but once again fell out of the rotation.
Devin Harris is in his 13th season in the NBA, most of which has been spent in two different stints with the Mavericks. He was the stating point guard of the Mavericks in 2006 when they lost to the Heat in the NBA finals. He’s shooting 35% from behind the arc in Dallas this season as a backup point guard and is a low mistake type player who can run the second unit. He will also be an unrestricted free agent this summer. In addition to likely being an overall upgrade at the backup point guard position, the swap will also free up a little over $4 million of cap space for the Nuggets next season.
The Nuggets will send the rights to the 2018 second round pick they have from Portland to the Mavericks as part of the deal as well. The Nuggets do not play the Knicks again this season.
Mudiay will always have a special place in Nuggets history, taking over for a team that was in turmoil after the Ty Lawson trade and the Brian Shaw era. He arrived in a tough situation, and unfortunately did not develop into the player he had the potential to become.
We at Denver Stiffs wish Mudiay well in his next chapter in life. We also want to extend a warm welcome to Devin Harris, and look forward to seeing him in blue and gold as the team prepares for the postseason.
