Kenneth Faried: Should The Brooklyn Nets Trade For Him?

There have been rumors around the NBA that the Denver Nuggets would like to move on from power forward Kenneth Faried. If he is available, should the Brooklyn Nets consider him?

Faried came into the NBA and was able to make a name for himself. Commonly referred to as “The Manimal,” Faried has been a fixture on the Nuggets the past few years.

However, it seems that the Nuggets and Faried may be on course to split up. There have been rumors that the Nuggets are shopping Faried, and plenty of speculation about where the 26 year-old forward could end up.

If Faried is available, this is an avenue the Brooklyn Nets should at least explore. Depending on what Denver’s asking price is, this could be a worthwhile move for the Nets.

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As the roster currently sits, the Nets have a few options for starting power forward. Trevor Booker and Luis Scola, who both signed this offseason, are among the possibilities. Of the two, Booker is more likely to start. However, if Faried was acquired by the Nets, he certainly wouldn’t be brought to town for the purpose of sitting on the bench. Faried would definitely slot in with the Nets’ starting five.

Acquiring Faried would not destroy the Nets’ cap space, as he is set to make just over $12 million this season. In addition to 2016-17, the Nets would have control of Faried for 2017-18, and 2018-19 as well. In the final year of his extension he signed with the Nuggets, Faried’s salary reaches a high of $13.7 million. But even that amount would be manageable in the future for Brooklyn.

The Nets currently have about $17 million in cap space. Whereas a potential acquisition of Greg Monroe would take up nearly all of the Nets remaining cap, acquiring Faried instead would still leave the Nets some wiggle room under the cap.

Faried averaged 12.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game last season in 67 games. He will turn 27 in November, so he definitely has plenty of basketball left.

The Nets have a few nice building blocks with some of their younger players. Adding Faried to the front-court with Brook Lopez would add intrigue to the Nets roster. Faried is extremely athletic, hence his nickname, and could be an impact player for the Nets.

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All of this, of course, is contingent on Faried’s cost. The Nets don’t have much to offer in the way of draft picks, so perhaps a player-for-player(s) swap would have to be worked out. If the Nets were comfortable with Denver’s asking price, it could be a good deal for both sides. But if the price is too high for the Nets’ liking, there likely wouldn’t be a match between these two teams.