Wow, Andre Iguodala must have really hated Denver.

After a single season, Iguodala has departed the Nuggets, and, in essence, he paid to leave town. You thought Carmelo Anthony was a selfish jerk?

Well, don’t cry. The Nuggets can be better off without Iguodala.

Iguodala left $12 million on the table to sign with Golden State and get out of Denver. If you can’t guard Stephen Curry, join him.

This need not be a step back for the Nuggets. But, in the speed-dating world of NBA free agency, Denver needs to act quickly to replace Iguodala.

Oh, there are players who could help the Nuggets that are still available. And the best part: Both of the following choices are unlikely to cost more than $6 million per season, or roughly half the price of Iguodala.

Andrei Kirilenko: He is Iguodala without the Olympic gold medal hype. Oh, Kirilenko is 32 years old. But his offense is more efficient, his free-throw shooting is better and his perimeter defense is nearly on par with Iguodala.

While the Nuggets wait for Danilo Gallinari to heal from injury, put Kirilenko on the wing with Wilson Chandler, and there’s no real reason for the team’s record to suffer.

Chauncey Billups: Yep, it’s a sentimental pick. Nope, I can’t guarantee you Billups will ever fully recover from his Achilles tendon injury.

At age 36, Billups insists he has two years of good basketball left in him. So let him shoot 3-point jumpers that space the floor, let him give Lawson a breather and let him be the best unofficial assistant that new Nuggets coach Brian Shaw could hire.

Mark Kiszla: 303-954-1053, mkiszla@denverpost.com or twitter.com/markkiszla