It looks like the Nuggets will get in on the sign-and-trade for Andre Iguodala. Here are the details, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:
In the deal, which could be finalized on Monday, Denver would sign-and-trade forward Andre Iguodala to Golden State for the four-year, $48 million contract he had agreed to sign with the Warriors. This would create a $12 million trade exception that the Nuggets would have a full year to use before it expires.
Utah would sign-and-trade Foye to Denver on a three-year, $9 million deal, with a team option on the third season, sources said.
Randy Foye is a combo guard that goes 6’4″ – combo meaning he can play the point or shooting guard – and he’ll turn 30 years-old in September. It looks like the Nuggets will add him for $3 million per season for two years and a team option for a third season. He set career shooting numbers in Utah last season by taking a career high 5.3 three-pointers and making 41-percent of them. Foye also shoots 81.9-percent from the foul line, but only averaged 1.8 attempts per game there. He also shot a pedestrian 39.7-percent from the field. He’s great in catch-and-shoot situations and will provide the Nuggets will some much needed outside shooting.
It’s unclear what role Foye will play for the Nuggets. He averaged 27 minutes a night for the Jazz in 82 games and he started in 72 of those contests at the shooting guard spot. He likely will compete with Evan Fournier for the starting shooting guard role, along with Jordan Hamilton, but could come off the bench or play behind Ty Lawson if a move is made to deal Andre Miller (as rumors indicated the Nuggets might look to do).
Denver will also receive a $12 million Traded Player Exception that can be used to bring in a player that makes up to $12M per season. The TPE, as it’s known, cannot be combined with another player in a trade – so Denver could not use the TPE and say Andre Miller’s $5M deal and Anthony Randolph’s $1.7Mto bring in … say Chris Bosh and his $19M contract. The Nuggets could however absorb a contract like say DeMar DeRozan at $9.5M (not that I’m advocating for that).
The sign-and-trade would give the Warriors the salary cap flexibility to sign their 2013 first-round pick, Serbian Nemanja Nedovic, and preserve the Warriors’ midlevel salary exception.
You can view the sign-and-trade as the Nuggets helping out the Warriors a bit, with the information above, but that would be a mistake. Denver cannot do business in thinking about how they may or may not be helping out an opponent. Yes, the Warriors have the MLE to sign a guy for up to $5.15M, but to not get back a TPE and to be able to hold onto the bi-annual exception of $2.6 million the Nuggets (Tim Connelly) are doing themselves a huge favor.
Recent history would indicate that Denver failed to use the TPEs from the Marcus Camby and Nene trades, but the Nuggets were able to use some of the Carmelo Anthony TPE to add some players. It’s better to have the option to use the TPE than to not get it back. Whenever you can acquire assets for an asset that is leaving – you HAVE to do it. Kudos to Tim Connelly for getting the TPE and for adding some outside shooting in Foye too.
In a perfect world the Nuggets would have been able to send out Andre Miller in the deal and take back Brandon Rush to start at the shooting guard spot, thus leaving Foye to backup Lawson. But this deal will work for the Nuggets as they plug a few holes from last season.
Still no word on where Corey Brewer or Timofey Mozgov may land, but with Foye and J.J. Hickson in the mix, the Nuggets’ roster is close to set. Woj reported that Denver is still looking to add Mozgov back, but no idea where Brewer will go.
Hickson, I asked Dave Deckard over at Blazersedge about the former starting center in Portland and here is what he had to say:
Dave: J.J. Hickson resuscitated his foundering career with the Portland Trail Blazers over the last season and a half. After ups and downs in Cleveland his stock fell to waiver-wire level with the Sacramento Kings. That’s where the Blazers found him. The relationship blossomed when Portland entered the 2012-13 season without a center and turned to Hickson to fill starter’s minutes. Given enough floor time and court space he showed a nice motor, a nose for rebounds, and flashes of offense. He often played with abandon, buoying the team with energy and a personality generally lacking in Portland’s staid lineup. His board-work graded as magnificent, his offense efficient, his emotional effect positive.
Hickson's contributions were predicated on plenty of minutes and plenty of low-hanging fruit. Portland's rebounders (or lack thereof) left plenty of room for him. Bench players who replaced him, though uniformly unpolished and sometimes just terrible, somehow managed as many rebounds as he. That's not to discredit his rebounding, just to point out that some of his production was undoubtedly system-based.
When called upon for more technical, fundamental, or difficult maneuvers Hickson suffered. Though some allowance must be made for him playing out of position at center, his defense was poor overall. His protection against screens was a thing of ugly, leading to comical follies when paired with Damian Lillard. He wasn’t great defending the post. He isn’t a shot-blocker. Though inspirational in many moments, he tended to wilt in others. To be fair, though, the late-season Trail Blazers were worth wilting on. Still, Hickson did little to stem that tide.
The big questions for the Nuggets will be where they want Hickson to play and what for. Denver will love the board-work and probably his effort. But limiting his minutes and role to reserve duty may not bring out the best in him. Despite his strengths he brings a relatively neutral effect to the floor, giving up as much as he gives in the long run. You want to put him in situations where he can play unfettered and give you some sizzle without relying on him to be the steak.
–Dave DeckardBlazersedge.com
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Be sure to check out Ben Golliver's piece on Hickson that includes this quote: click here
Jason Quick of The Oregonian reported in April that Blazers GM Neil Olshey saw the starting center position as one that needed to be improved.
"For us to make a jump next season, J.J. can't be our starting center,'' Olshey said, referencing the Blazers' 47.4 points allowed in the paint per game, an NBA high. "I'm not saying he can't be part of the roster. But we need to find a starting-caliber center who protects the rim and gets defensive rebounds at a high rate and that has a presence. And we have to do a better job at defending the paint. So you have to ask: Is it likely there is enough minutes to commit the kind of dollars J.J. will command, when clearly there are other positions that need to be upgraded? Probably not.''
