Los Angeles Clippers interested in Arron Afflalo?

By Cory Buck | Feb 6, 2015

Feb 4, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Denver Nuggets guard forward Arron Afflalo (10) controls the ball during the first quarter against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /

The Denver Nuggets may be willing to move guard Arron Afflalo and the Los Angeles Clippers are among those rumored to be interested.

The Denver Nuggets stand in the purgatorial middle ground of the NBA‘s Western Conference and smartly want to get out of there. They’d like to make a move to put themselves at the top of the conference, but since teams aren’t exactly lining up to trade their star players, the Nuggets may have to content themselves with a fire sale that provides the team with valuable assets to re-tool the roster. If they choose the latter, Arron Afflalo could one of the first players moved.

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“We’re very, very aggressive right now,” Nuggets GM Tim Connelly told the Denver Post. That means clawing their way out of the worst place to be in the NBA — square in the middle. You aren’t high enough to think about making a serious run at the NBA Finals, nor are you bad enough to get a top pick in the NBA draft.

It’s for that reason Connelly has been hotly rumored to be after Brook Lopez of the Brooklyn Nets. If that falls through, Connelly reportedly has a back-up plan though and that involves moving a guy like Arron Afflalo to a team like the Los Angeles Clippers, who need anyone they can get to take on the powers of the Western Conference.

The Sporting News also names the Clippers as a contender for Arron Afflalo, who will be among the most coveted targets at the February trade deadline. The Nuggets are hoping to leverage that into a big deal for Afflalo, but only if they can’t get the key player they desire.

Losers of nine out of their last ten, the Denver Nuggets should be aware by now that they’re really closer to the bottom of the standings than they could ever be to the top. Even if they get Brook Lopez, what would they have to give up to make that work? Would they be any better as a team in 2015 with that move? Would it be enough to pull them back in the playoffs? Would it then be enough for them to make any noise in the playoffs?

The answer is likely no to all those questions, which is why the Nuggets would be better served dealing Afflalo, Wilson Chandler and anyone else for which they can exact solid value and build their roster for the future. They should have no trouble finding suitors if they come to that conclusion.

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