Upon being the Mr. Nugget for a very long time, Will Barton didn’t quietly expect that he’s no longer in Denver for next season.
Barton admitted that he was in “shock” upon knowing that the Nuggets have dealt him this offseason after their eight years of partnership.
But at the same time, he revealed that he already embraced this new challenge of his career as a new member of the Washington Wizards.
“It was just like a shock, but not too much of a shock,” Barton said when asked his reaction to the trade, via Mike Singer of Denver Post. “It was a shock in that, obviously, I had been there eight years, did so much there together, so it’s always shocking when you’ve been somewhere for so long and you’re moving on. But, at the same time, I embraced it, I’m welcoming a new chapter.”
Barton’s time in Mile High City has reached the conclusion this summer. With Monte Morris, he was sent to the D.C. area for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith.
Yet, his tenure there was truly a remarkable one. As an offensive swingman, he helped the club to reach the next level of contention in the wild Western Conference, averaging a stellar numbers of 14 points, five rebounds and 3.3 assists per 30.4 minutes of play over 479 games. He also holds the franchise’s all-time three-pointers made with 804, surpassing J.R. Smith last season.
With his time in Denver already in the books, the 31-year-old Barton is now expected to help Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis and the Wizards in climbing the growing competitiveness of the East coast area.
