NBA Trade Rumors: Why the Denver Nuggets May Be Open to Moving a Valuable Pick and Kenneth Faried
Faried is due to make $13.7 million next season
The Denver Nuggets came one shy of making it back to the playoffs this past season.
It was a bitter ending to an up-and-down campaign for the Nuggets. There were times when the Nuggets were clicking on all cylinders and looking like a team that could just blow teams away with its potent offensive attack, and then there were times when they would look lost and disconnected on both ends of the floor.
The Nuggets will have one goal in mind for next season, and that will be to qualify for the playoffs.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
In order to give themselves the best shot at reaching the playoffs, the members of the team's front office may need to make some changes to the roster and perhaps even add a veteran or two.
It will be tough for them do so with the team's payroll already expected to be over $106 million, per Hoops Hype, and the 2018-19 salary cap expected to end up at somewhere around $101 million.
The team projecting to face a salary cap crunch could explain why a recent rumor is hinting that the Nuggets may be willing to trade a valuable asset if it means that they can move some salary as well.
Over on Twitter, Denver Stiffs writer Ryan Blackburn took note of something renowned NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski while making a recent appearance on ESPN's mock draft special. According to Wojnarowski, the Nuggets have been trying to move Kenneth Faried for quite some time now, and apparently, the franchise is in the running to trade the 14th pick they have if it means that they will be able to offload the remainder of that contract.
This bit of news may come as a bit of a shock because the Nuggets' willingness to include the 14th pick in a Faried deal makes it seem like the 28-year-old forward is a player other teams may not want otherwise. Faried was on the U.S. National Team that won the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2014, and just under four years later, he's difficult to trade away?
Unfortunately for Faried, the league's development over the past few seasons has simply made it harder for him to remain as an effective player in the league. Faried's style of play that consists of crashing the glass and throwing down slams may have earned him a spot on the national team in 2014, but it's not working for him now.
These days, NBA teams need their big men to either be adept at protecting the rim or possess a respectable outside shot, and preferably, they would be capable of both. Faried cannot consistently do either of those two things and that makes him a bit of a relic in the modern NBA.
By attaching the number 14 pick to Faried's contract in a possible deal, the Nuggets risk losing out on adding a young talent who could be something special, but in exchange, they will be able to free up some cap room that they can then use to sign a veteran contributor.
More news about the latest NBA trade rumors should be made available soon.
