Will Kenneth Faried begin next season in a Denver Nuggets uniform?
It’s a fair question, now more so than ever, knowing that Wilson Chandler should be healthy and given Nikola Jokic’s breakout rookie campaign. The Nuggets simply have too many bodies in their frontcourt, and Faried figures less into their future than any of them, as someone who neither spaces the floor nor moves the defensive needle.
The rumor mill has consumed his named in the past, only to spit it back out. But that hasn’t stopped the Nuggets from trying to move him, per Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net:
Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried is also said to be available, with the Thunder and Pelicans among the teams to express an interest, sources told Amico Hoops.
The New Orleans Pelicans make some sense as a destination, since they’ve also been linked to Greg Monroe, another defensive and spacing liability they could slot next to Anthony Davis. Faried projects as a better fit in New Orleans than Monroe, if only because he’s more athletic, giving him more long-term potential as a pick-and-roll rim runner and, if he ever improves, a one-on-one defender.
The Oklahoma City Thunder make less sense. They don’t really have the salary-matching power, unless they plan to ship out Ersan Ilyasova and Kyle Singler. More importantly, they don’t really have a need for Faried. He is not a stretchy 4, so he won’t replace Serge Ibaka. Ilyasova has a better chance of doing that, and they already have a backup spacing liability with Enes Kanter.
Hence the reason it’s so hard for the Nuggets to trade Faried. Finding a good fit for him is difficult. It helps, however, that he’s now making backup money. If the Nuggets are serious about moving him and aren’t looking for a huge return, a deal can certainly be struck—it’s just unlikely to be struck with either of these teams.
