Nuggets trade for McRae, send Napier to Wizards

DENVER (AP) - The Denver Nuggets have picked up guard Jordan McRae in a trade with Washington that became official Thursday night.

In exchange, the Nuggets sent recently acquired guard Shabazz Napier to the Wizards.

McRae averaged 12.9 points and 2.8 assists in 29 games for the Wizards this season. The 28-year-old out of Tennessee had surgery on his right ring finger in October. He's recently been dealing with a twisted left ankle.

The 6-foot-5 McRae joins a Nuggets team that's off to a 36-16 start and currently sits in third place in the Western Conference. He provides back-court depth behind Jamal Murray, Will Barton, Gary Harris and Monte Morris.

McRae has appeared in 115 games over four years with Washington, Cleveland and Phoenix. He was signed by the Wizards on a two-way deal on Sept. 10, 2018, before it was converted to a regular contract on April 9, 2019.

"Jordan was a great success story for our developmental program, with his hard work and dedication resulting in him earning a full-time spot with our team,'ť Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard said. 'œWe're proud to have helped him get to this point and wish him the best as he continues his career.'ť

Napier didn't play for the Nuggets after being picked up late Tuesday as part of a four-team trade involving Minnesota, Houston, Atlanta and Denver. In that deal, the Nuggets got Napier, Keita Bates-Diop and Noah Vonleh from the Timberwolves, along with Gerald Green and a 2020 first-round pick from the Rockets. The Nuggets sent Malik Beasley, Juancho Hernangomez and Jarred Vanderbilt to Minnesota.

"Shabazz is an experienced, hard-nosed guard who is in the midst of a career year,'ť Sheppard said. 'œHis style of play will fit in with our pace-and-space system and will give us even more speed and athleticism in the back-court.'ť

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AP Sports Writer Howard Fendrich contributed to this report.

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