Looking to lighten the payroll, the Dallas Mavericks traded a pair of players to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday in exchange for a future second-round draft choice.
The reigning world champions completed its second trade in as many days. Earlier in the week, the team sent its 2012 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Lamar Odom, a 2012 second-round selection and future second-round considerations.
Heading to Denver are wings Rudy Fernandez and Corey Brewer. The draft pick going to Dallas is a second-round pick of the Memphis Grizzlies, previously obtained by the Nuggets in the 2009 trade of center Steven Hunter.
While the move provides cap flexibility for the Mavericks, the trade of Fernandez and Brewer is somewhat peculiar given that both players were obtained by the organization within the last eight months.
The defensive-minded Brewer signed a three-year deal with Dallas back in March of 2011 after being waived the Knicks following a trade between New York and Minnesota.
In the case of Fernandez, the Mavericks acquired the Spanish guard-forward by trading the rights to its 2011 first-round pick, Jordan Hamilton (26th overall), to the Nuggets in what eventually evolved into a three-team draft-day deal that ensconced the Portland Trail Blazers and involved point guards Andre Miller and Raymond Felton heading to new cities.
So in essence, Dallas has traded its 2011 first-rounder and Brewer for a future second-round pick, cap-clearing moves that may be a prelude to the Mavericks making a big splash during the 2012 off-season.
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© 2011 Neal J. Leitereg -- All Rights Reserved
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