Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 2:25pm

PHILLY TAKES A HIGH-PRICED FLIER IN MCGEE

The Philadelphia 76ers acquired center JaVale McGee and a top-18-protected first-round draft pick in 2015 from the Denver Nuggets for a trade exception worth $11.2 million.

What does it give the Philadelphia 76ers
This is an intriguing (if somewhat risky) deal for the Sixers. With future franchise cornerstone center Joel Embiid still recovering from injury and yet to make his NBA debut, McGee can hold down the starting center job for the next season or so. He's one of the most athletic pivots on the planet, and if he can stay healthy he might make the young, up-tempo Philly lineup surprisingly competitive next season. Of course, durability and maturity are continuing question marks, but McGee has only one year left on his contract after this one (so it's not a huge risk). Maduabum is an intriguing talent who is playing internationally.

What does it give the Denver Nuggets
This trade helps the re-tooling Nuggets move on from McGee, an expensive player who simply didn't pan out for them. They found the perfect suitor in Philadelphia, a team with a huge amount of salary cap space. Not only do they unload the rest of McGee's salary (which will be $12 million next season), but they get the trade exception worth roughly the same amount (allowing them to trade for a player or players with salaries around $12 million, without sending players the other way). It's really a coup for Denver. Akyol may eventually prove to be a steal if he decides to join the NBA.

Fantasy impact
McGee has the tools to be a star, but he needs to improve his durability (and at this point probably his confidence) first. He's a great fit for the 76ers' young, up-tempo attack. It's hard to see him garnering huge minutes early on, but this deal definitely makes McGee a fantasy sleeper for the rest of this season (as well as for next season). Expect him to gradually eat into the minutes of Luc Mbah a Moute in the Philly frontcourt. This deal doesn't have much (if any) fantasy impact on the Nuggets roster since McGee wasn't playing much at all. Akyol and Maduabum are both talented but are not fantasy-worthy yet.