Trade Grades: Nuggets strike gold with Devin Harris

DENVER — The Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks have agreed to a three-team trade that sends Devin Harris to Denver, Emmanuel Mudiay to New York and Doug McDermott to Dallas. The Nuggets and Mavericks will also swap second-round picks. The trade, which was first reported by ESPN, has since been confirmed to BSN Denver.

Here’s how the Nuggets graded out in the deal.

Nuggets get Devin Harris, 2018 second-round pick via Clippers – Grade: A

Denver accomplished its No. 1 goal at this year’s deadline: Acquire an adequate backup point guard for the stretch run. The Nuggets got that in Devin Harris.

Harris, 34, has been a rock in Dallas’ backcourt this season. He’s averaging 8.5 points on 41.5 percent shooting from the field and 35.2 percent from three, 1.9 assists per game and 1.1 turnovers in 18.3 minutes per game. He’s not flashy, but the 6-foot-3 guard is battle tested and has logged 63 playoff games throughout his 12-year career. Harris averaged 24.3 minutes per game in the playoffs on the Mavericks’ 2005-06 team that lost in the Finals to the Miami Heat.

Better more, Denver gets salary cap relief by parting ways with Mudiay. With the team expected to re-up Nikola Jokic to a max contract this offseason, the Nuggets’ books are tight, and Mudiay is owed $4.3 million next season. Denver gets off of Mudiay’s money and takes on Harris, who’s owed $4.4 million this year but will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Mudiay had played well as of late since Nuggets coach Michael Malone inserted him back into Denver’s rotation a few weeks ago. The 21-year-old was averaging 6.7 points and 2.6 assists to just 0.9 turnovers over his last 10 games but the recent two-week stretch didn’t erase his up-and-down two-plus year run in Denver where turnovers and poor shooting had forced him out of the lineup.

Mudiay needed a new start — that much was clear, and he’ll get it in New York. The seventh overall pick in 2015 can still turn his career around and has the skill-set and potential to do so. It was never going to happen in Denver, though. This trade could be looked at as a low sell on Mudiay who can still develop at just 21. But in reality, the Nuggets, who desperately need a playoff berth this season, couldn’t afford to sit on Mudiay and wait around for his development any longer.

With Harris, the Nuggets enter the final three months of the regular season with a steady hand at backup point guard — someone who can run their second unit and take care of the basketball. The playoff-tested Harris can be trusted to do just that.

Mudiay needed a fresh start — he’ll get that in New York. Denver will look forward to a playoff run with Harris in the fold.