Denver Nuggets will shop Emmanuel Mudiay during offseason, Knicks could make a play

The Denver Nuggets (31-35) will shop second-year point guard Emmanuel Mudiay during the offseason, per several reports. The Nuggets had drafted Mudiay in 2015 with hopes that the athletic guard would turn into a franchise cornerstone. However, those plans haven't materialized.

After starting 66 out of 68 games as a rookie, Mudiay has fallen out of favour with Nuggets coach Michael Malone in his sophomore season. So much so that the Congolosese native has played a grand total of 15 minutes in Denver's last 9 games, after finding himself out of the rotation as a result of back spasms. Though Mudiay began the season as the starter for 41 games, his injury issues coupled with his declining production have forced the Nuggerts coaching staff to roll with 13-year veteran Jameer Nelson as the starter and rookie Jamal Murray as the No. 1 backup point guard.

Mudiay, who averaged 12.8 points and 5.5 assists as a rookie, was viewed as future All-Star, drawing comparisons with the likes of John Wall and Eric Bledsoe for his ability to penetrate and break down NBA defences with his above-average athleticism. And coach Malone acknowledges that it's not an easy decision to bench Mudiay. "That’s probably one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make in terms of what guards I’m going to go with. Emmanuel was starting for us for a year and a half, so for him to go from starter to sort of out of the rotation is a lot to handle for a young man," Malone told The Denver Post last week.

What next for Mudiay? Nuggets prefer Jamal Murray as longterm PG

At the start of the season, analysts expected the Nuggets to invest in a backcourt of Murray and Mudiay. However, Murray is starting to come into his own as a backup PG and seems to be Denver's top priority going forward. Since getting additional minutes, the Canadian rookie is averaging 10.6 points, 2.2 assists and 2.3 rebounds over his last 10 games. He's also shooting an impressive 42 percent from the three-point line, as compared to Mudiay who is making just 30 percent of his shots from deep in his second season in the NBA.

Mudiay wishes to work hard and return to his rookie season form. "It’s different (to be benched), but I’m just trying to stay ready as much as possible, I’m just working on my game. I can only control what I can control," said the guard who was drafted No. 7 overall by the Nuggets during the top-heavy 2015 NBA Draft.

Emmanuel Mudiay trade: Could Knicks make a play?

Prior to last month's NBA Trade Deadline, several reports suggested that the Knicks could make a move for Mudiay, who was being shopped by the Nuggets ahead of the Feb. 23 cut off. Daily Knicks is of the opinion that the Knicks could benefit from adding Mudiay to its young core of Porzingis and Willy Hernangomez.

"Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings are intriguing options at point guard, but the Knicks could develop Mudiay at the same pace as Hernangomez and Porzingis. He’s a 20-year-old point guard who has the better part of his career ahead of him. If New York were to acquire Mudiay, it would have its interior and playmaker on the same timeline — a possibility that’s too intriguing to entirely ignore," the Daily Knicks wrote in an opinion piece.

Incidentally, the Knicks had passed up on Mudiay to draft Latvian sensation Kristaps Porzingis with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Emmanuel Mudiay is averaging 11.3 points, 4.0 assists and 3.4 rebounds in his second season. The 21-year-old point guard had played a year of professional basketball in China before declaring for the NBA Draft.