Rudy Fernandez will undergo surgery on his lower back and will likely miss the remainder of the season, according to the Nuggets. Fernandez has missed time this year with a lower back strain, and had the injury flare up on Monday, prompting further evaluation.
The Nuggets should still be well-stocked at the wing despite losing Fernandez, as Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com points out via Twitter. However, it could be another blow for the Spanish Olympic team, depending on Fernandez's recovery time, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
Fernandez averaged 8.6 PPG on 44% shooting in 31 games for the Nuggets this season, after the team acquired him from Dallas in December. The 26-year-old is in the final year of his contract, so if the Nuggets don't expect him back this season and require a roster spot to add another player, he's a candidate to be cut. Fernandez will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.