Blazers Trade for Arron Afflalo
Thursday, February 19, 2015
The move figures to be an immediate boon to the Blazers, who hope to make a deep playoff run. Just as important, they mortgaged little to get there.
The players sent off--Barton, Robinson and Claver--never really cracked Portland's regular rotation, and were almost guaranteed to remain glued to the bench in playoff time.
In other words: the Blazers traded a few pennies for a quarter.
Afflalo, a 6'5" shooting guard who also logs some minutes a small forward, is a competent NBA player. He's a stout, robust defender who's scored double-figures over the last four-plus seasons. In his latest campaign, in Denver, Afflalo has scored 14.5 points per game while grabbing 3.4 rebounds and dishing 1.9 assists. He was better last year, in Orlando, where he scored a career-high 18.2 points per game.
Though up and down over the years, Afflalo is a serviceable three-point shooter. In 2013 he made eight three-pointers in a game. That year he shot a career-best 43% from behind the arc. This year his shooting from distance had dropped considerably, down to 34%.
Presumably, the plan is for Afflalo to come off the bench. He'll be asked to score and lead the second unit. (Wave goodbye to CJ McCollum and Allen Crabbe's on-court minutes.)
But therein is the one possible rub: Afflalo is accustomed to starting. He's also used to playing starter-level minutes (in Denver he's been playing 33 per game).
How Afflalo settles into a new, likely reduced role, will be everything, as NBA players are notoriously finicky, their egos out-sized and their comfort-zones tight.
Afflalo though, from most accounts, is both hard-working and level-headed. And, of course, the hope is that, after leaving a moribund Denver team, that winning will be a cure-all.
Blazers General Manager Neil Olshey released the following statement:
“Arron is a proven winner with playoff experience who will be easily integrated into our culture. He possesses a skill set that complements our style of play on both ends of the floor and will make an immediate impact as we continue our playoff push."
Olshey doesn't say it, but the trade could provide him with a tiny bit of insurance, as starting shooting guard Wesley Matthews will be a free agent at the end of the year. This gives Olshey time to forge a relationship and a back-up plan.
That's just a little gravy on top, though, as this trade is all about the here and now.
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