Mar 12, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Arron Afflalo (4) shoots over Denver Nuggets guard Evan Fournier (94) during the second half at Amway Center. Denver Nuggets defeated the Orlando Magic 120-112. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Arron Afflalo has finally been traded.
The Orlando Magic moved their starting shooting guard by trading him back to his former team, the Denver Nuggets.
In return, the Magic has acquired shooting guard Evan Fournier as well as the 56th overall pick in tonight’s draft.
Orlando has agreed to send Arron Afflalo to Denver for Evan Fournier and 56th pick in 2014 Draft, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 26, 2014
Afflalo had another year left on his deal for $7.5 million, which is one of the best bargains in the league for a player who averaged over 18 points per game last season.
He has a player option for 2015-16 but if he had stayed with the Magic he likely would have opted out. Afflalo has been the Magic’s best player the last two seasons despite Orlando’s struggles on the court.
However, the Magic front office had made it a priority to trade Afflalo rather than extending his contract.
The Magic's continuous losing was like torture to Afflalo. Still, I'm told he and his agent did NOT request a trade.
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) June 26, 2014
The 28-year-old has been mired in trade talk for much of the last year and a resolution may have been best for both parties.
Afflalo spent three years in Denver but was sent to the Magic in the Dwight Howard trade two years ago.
In Fournier, the Magic acquire a young shooting guard who played well last season for the Nuggets.
In 76 games, Fournier averaged 8.4 points per game. He’s shooting nearly 44 per cent from the floor in his career and is also a decent 3-point shooter, connecting 38 per cent of the time.
There is a possibility that the Magic could have gotten more elsewhere for Afflalo, but Rob Hennigan must have felt that this was the best deal.
This trade also puts to rest the rumours of the Magic trading up for the 1st or 2nd overall pick.
There were rumours yesterday that the Magic were willing to give up the 4th and 12th overall picks, along with Afflalo, for the 1st or 2nd overall selection. With this trade, that nullifies that possibility.