Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
The Denver Nuggets have more room on their roster today after free agent Julyan Stone agreed to a two-year deal with the Toronto Raptors.
With Stone leaving for Toronto, this means that second-year man Evan Fournier will have less competition for playing time in the 2013-14 NBA season. Fournier had a solid season in 2012-13, averaging 5.3 points on .494% shooting (.407 from three) in 11.3 minutes. He saw his playing time increase as the season progressed. The French guard started in four games for the Nuggets in the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors.
Stone’s departure also means that Nuggets’ 2013 NBA Draftee Erick Green will likely get a contract offer. Right now, the Nuggets only have two PG on the roster in Ty Lawson and Andre Miller.
Green, the reigning NCAA scoring champion, has a ton of potential with the Nuggets. With Stone’s absence, Green should see more playing time during the regular season. The former Virginia Tech Hokie is expected to debut for the Nuggets in the 2013 NBA Summer League. The Nuggets’ first opponent is the Milwaukee Bucks on July 13th.
The Nuggets signed Stone, a six-foot-six, 200-pound point guard, as an undrafted free agent in 2011 from UTEP. He had a two-year $1.1 million contract with the team. In his two seasons with the Nuggets, he played in 30 games. Stone played a total of six games this past season due to injuries to his right hip and knee. During his tenure, he was sent down to the NBA D-League twice. He played for the Idaho Stampede in 2012 and the Iowa Energy in 2013.
The Nuggets didn’t give Stone a qualifying offer following last season.
In Toronto, Stone will compete with Kyle Lowry for the backup point guard spot. Stone will reunite with former Nuggets general Manager Masai Ujiri, the man who signed him in 2011.
Jordan Morey is a Denver Nuggets writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jordanamorey, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
