Devin Harris Excels For Denver Nuggets in Debut

Devin Harris made his debut for the Denver Nuggets and quickly proved the franchise right in trading for him at the deadline.

It was heartbreak all around for the Dallas Mavericks when they traded Devin Harris to the Denver Nuggets in a three team deal that landed them Doug McDermott and a second round pick.

Devin was a part of the family in Dallas and frankly, still is as Donnie Nelson was very open about bringing Harris back to Dallas over the summer.

But Devin is a Nugget now and it’s time for the Mavericks to see what they have in their youngsters.

For Devin, it’s a different story as the playoffs suddenly become a realistic goal for him this season.

On Saturday night, Devin made his debut for the Nuggets.

Harris came off the bench where he finished with nine points, two steals and two rebounds in 22 minutes of play. He was a game high +17 in the win over the Suns.

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Ever since Denver let go of Jameer Nelson in favor of Richard Jefferson, Michael Malone has had a noticeable hole at the backup point guard spot behind Jamal Murray. Former 7th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Emmanuel Mudiay, held that title for this past season, but simply wasn’t working out in Denver.

Denver decided to pull the plug on Mudiay after two and a half seasons in Denver by shipping him out with a second round pick for Devin Harris. With the 34-year-old Harris on an expiring contract, normally this would be a lot to give up in a deal, but Denver seemed to be completely done with the Mudiay experience.

Now, Harris comes in as the unquestioned backup point guard that will be a solid upgrade over Mudiay. He will give the Nuggets versatility off the bench as he played the one, two and three positions in Dallas over the past couple of years.

He looks healthier than ever and should help keep the 30-26 Nuggets in the playoff race as they currently sit in the 7th spot in the West.

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Harris will be missed in Dallas, but if his debut in Denver is anything for how the rest of the season will turn out, then Denver should be more than happy with the deal they made at the deadline.