Nuggets trade Atkins for Thunder’s Petro

[Bruno]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_yl...yhoo&type=lgns

By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder are suddenly one of the power players in the 2009 NBA draft.

The Denver Nuggets traded veteran guard Chucky Atkins and their 2009 first-round pick to the Thunder for 7-footer Johan Petro and the Thunder’s 2009 second-round pick, a league executive familiar with the deal told Yahoo! Sports on Wednesday.

Now, Thunder GM Sam Presti has ac ulated three first-round picks in the 2009 draft, and two more in 2010. This gives the Thunder the pieces to be active in trades and free agency this summer.

The Minnesota Timberwolves could have as many as four first-round picks in this season’s draft.

Atkins, 34, gives the Thunder a third point guard for the rest of this season. Denver has been trimming payroll to get under the luxury tax. Petro, 24, gives the Nuggets some versatility on the frontline. He averaged 4.6 points and 4.3 rebounds for the Thunder.

[tp2021]

CIA Pop, setting himself up for a trade with his buddy Presti for some first-rounders .

[Stump]

So OKC moves up from the 31st to a low 20s pick.

I know nothing about the foreign prospects for the 2009 draft, but pick #31 could be valuable for Denver if a projected pick in the 20s slides because GMs fear he could pull a Splitter.