The Deal
Nuggets get: Guard D.J. Augustin, forward Steve Novak, 2016 Charlotte and Oklahoma City second-round picks
Thunder get: Guard Randy Foye
Oklahoma City Thunder: B-
The Thunder presumably had two goals entering the deadline: cut their tax bill and add a wing. This deal ostensibly addresses both, though I'd really say Oklahoma City was more like 1-for-2 in hitting those goals.
From a financial standpoint, it's a clear win. Augustin for Foye is a wash, so the Thunder basically dumped Novak, which saves about $1.2 million in salary and $8.2 million in tax payments for a total savings of $9.4 million -- decent though not outstanding for a couple of second-round picks.
Now, the question is whether Foye is an upgrade on what Oklahoma City had on the roster at shooting guard. He hasn't shot the ball well this season, making 29.6 percent of his 3s, and even at his career mark (37.0 percent) is more of a B-grade shooter than an A-level one.
Foye still doesn't give the Thunder the two-way wing they covet. At a listed 6-foot-4, he's too small to defend many opposing shooting guards and is a poor defensive rebounder. As a result, Foye has rated below replacement level in ESPN's Real Plus-Minus the last couple of seasons.
On the plus side, Foye can handle the ball well enough to play point guard in a pinch, and Oklahoma City needed a third point guard after trading Augustin. I'd probably rather have hung on to Augustin, dumped Novak's salary and taken my chances on signing Joe Johnson as a wing reinforcement -- which is certainly still a possibility.
Denver Nuggets: A-
From the standpoint of a lottery team, the Foye-Augustin swap isn't particularly meaningful. This deal essentially boils down to the Nuggets taking on the remaining $1.25 million or so in salary owed to Novak in exchange for a pair of second-round picks. Given the value of second-rounders, it probably would cost Denver more to buy them individually in June than to take on Novak's salary, so nice work here by Tim Connelly and company.