Nuggets Acquire Hunter, Jones From 76ers

DENVER, Sept. 10 -- The Denver Nuggets have acquired C/F Steven Hunter and F Bobby Jones from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for F Reggie Evans and the draft rights to F Ricky Sanchez, team Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien announced today.
“We’re very pleased with this deal,” said Warkentien. “Steven is an athletic, 7-foot big man; a Mile High runner that can block shots. We think his presence will provide us with a more balanced roster. Bobby is an intriguing young player, who really played well at the end of the season. This move greatly helps us add depth at our center position while reducing our inventory of power forwards. Reggie played a valuable role for us during his time in Denver and we appreciate his professionalism.”

Hunter, 7-0, 240, played in 70 games for the 76ers last season, averaging career highs of 6.4 ppg and 4.8 rpg in 22.9 mpg. He also averaged 1.09 bpg, which ranked 27th in the NBA. Hunter has appeared in 360 regular season games over his six-year career with Orlando, Phoenix and Philadelphia, posting averages of 4.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 1.13 bpg. He has played in 22 career playoff games, averaging 3.0 ppg and 1.9 rpg. Hunter was originally drafted by the Magic in the first round (15th overall) of the 2001 NBA Draft after his sophomore season at DePaul.

Jones, 6-7, 215, appeared in 44 games as a rookie for the 76ers last year, averaging 2.5 ppg and 1.3 rpg in 7.6 mpg. He flourished at the end of the season when he received extended minutes, averaging 13.5 ppg (.575 FG) and 3.8 rpg in 31.0 mpg over Philadelphia’s final four games. He scored in double figures in each contest. He was originally drafted by Minnesota in the second round (37th overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft and subsequently traded to Philadephia.

Evans appeared in 92 games for the Nuggets after being acquired from Seattle on Feb. 23, 2006. He averaged 5.0 ppg and 7.5 rpg in those contests. He led the NBA in rebounds per 48 minutes last season (19.7).

Sanchez’s rights were acquired by the Nuggets along with the draft rights to Linas Kleiza in exchange for the draft rights to Jarrett Jack in a draft-day deal in 2005. He was the 35th overall pick of the 2005 NBA Draft.

source : NBA.com