National Basketball Association

Counter This: Kenneth Faried's Top 5 Realistic Trade Options

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:46 p.m. ET

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Kenneth Faried has been the topic of mock-trades for quite some time now, and if any were to actually go through, it would have to be one of these five.

The Denver Nuggets have sees some success with Kenneth Faried, as a player.

However, his low contribution towards the forward direction of the team has yielded a good amount of speculative trade talk. This has gone on for a couple years.

Along with his lack of development offensively, Faried is starting to fade into only a bench player for Denver as throughout the start of this preseason Coach Malone has opted to start Jurkic, a combination of Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic in the front court.

This duo could very well start the season, and it would almost solidify Faried as a bench player. Along with that, Faried might not be the best bench big. Most would prefer a Jokic/Nurkic and Arthur lineup for his ability to stretch the floor, a trait not held by Faried.

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Now, as we head into the 2016-17 season, five realistic Faried trade-options emerge above the rest. If the Nuggets were to trade Faried right now, it would be foolish not to pick from one the propositions listed.

Disclaimer: None of these are true rumors, and they should not be taken as such; with that said, comment which one of these that you think is best. If you have a different trade, comment it and we will post the best replies on Twitter!

Washington Wizards get PF, Kenneth Faried

Sep 26, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards forward Markieff Morris (5) poses for a portrait during Wizards media day at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

#5: Kenneth Faried to the Washington Wizards

This player-for-player swap would represent the goal of the trade. The proposition is incomplete, as it would put the Wizards over their salary cap. But still, if both teams were determined to land the other’s PF, then they could make it happen.

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ESPN’s trade machine suggests that if the Wizards were to throw SF, Otto Porter JR into the deal, the salary cap issue would be resolved, and the Wizards would still be looking at a projected +2 wins.

Morris to the Nuggets

Though projected to lose some games through this deal, the Nuggets would actually stand to gain a lot. This comes mostly from the recently explored success of their Jokic + Nurkic front-court.

The trade machine may not yet be able to account for “Jurkic”, as the duo has only recently been employed. With this in mind, giving up Faried for Morris (and maybe even Porter JR too?!) seems like a no-brainer. Adding a starter-ready stretch-four to the roster should be a priority. It would set the Nuggets up ideally for the option of a completely adjustable starting 5 against any team.

For Washington, accepting this trade may be a more difficult notion. They have been weak at the forward positions for a while, and adding Faried into the mix could help solve that issue. However, they did only recently acquire Morris, and they are more likely to thoroughly test him out before looking to trade.

Detroit Pistons get PF, Kenneth Faried

Jan 23, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Marcus Morris (13) looks on during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 104-101. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

#4: Kenneth Faried to the Detroit Pistons

Similarly, Marcus Morris (twin brother of Markieff) would be an excellent addition to the Nuggets’ front-court rotation. Either of the Morris twins would supply the sort of athletic stretch-four that the Nuggets need. However, a trade with Detroit seems more likely.

This is mostly due to the fact that the Pistons recently signed PF John Luer to a 4-year $41 million contract.

That speaks to their readiness to trade Morris. Yes, he can play SF as well, but Detroit has the starting position locked down with Tobias Harris. Adding Faried to their rotation as a 6th man would add a more explosive edge to the second unit than Morris is likely to supply. Faried could be their second-unit small-ball Drummond.

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Both players have similar skill-sets, which the Pistons seem quite good at deploying. This trade would help both teams shed some unnecessary talent, and gain new weapons in return.

The Pistons would likely throw PF Aaron Baynes into the deal, for salary cap reasons. As a result, they would end up with two PF’s in Luer and Faried. The Nuggets would play Marcus the same way that they would play Markieff, which makes sense, seeing as they are biologically identical!

Portland Traiblazers get PF, Kenneth Faried

May 7, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Al-Farouq Aminu (8) reacts after making a three point shot against the Golden State Warriors in game three of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

#3: Kenneth Faried to the Portland Trailblazers

The Trailblazers, like the Nuggets, have a lot of depth on the roster. Particularly, they have a lot of forwards. Evan Turner, Allen Crabbe, Al Farouq Aminu, Mo Harkless, Noah Vonleh, Ed Davis, and Meyers Leonard are all capable of playing a forward position.

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While this widespread talent is always nice to have, Portland may be able to bump their chances at a championship (which they came surprisingly close to last year) by trading two of these forwards for Kenneth Faried. Currently, the ‘Blazers seem happy with starting Aminu at SF and Harkless at PF. Although, sliding Harkless to SF and adding Faried as their PF could be a smarter look.

With the lights-out shooting abilities of Lillard and McCollum, Faried’s near league-leading abilities to grab offensive boards could turn a handful of bad shots into wide-open second-chance three’s, every single game. Faried could also come off the bench, leaving Aminu’s starting position to be filled by Turner or Crabbe, with Harkless retaining his PF position.

The Blazers would have a lot of options, and would not have to sacrifice much at all. Their biggest weakness has been defending PFs like Faried, so adding him to the roster would, at the very least, eliminate one player from exposing this weakness. He could also help them solve the issue all together, and may be a key addition for Portland’s underdog (yet surprisingly doable) championship push.

Aminu and Davis to Denver

The Nuggets could easily turn Aminu into a floor-spreading PF, similar to the current duties of Darrell Arthur. Ed Davis would essentially replace Faried’s lost abilities. Although, he has much less experience, and would need further development. However, development does seem to be one of Denver’s strongest areas, and this trade could easily work out quite well for both teams.

Denver would aim at replacing Faried’s talents with Davis’, and adding another floor-spreading forward to their roster in Aminu. Portland would add an explosive paint player without sacrificing much of anything at all, leaving them in a better position to fight in the playoffs.

What is not to love?

Philadelphia 76ers get PF, Kenneth Faried

Mar 25, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (35) battles Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel (4) for position during the second half at Pepsi Center. The 76ers won 99-85. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

#2: Kenneth Faried to the Philadelphia 76ers

Unlike the previous mock-trades, Faried-for-Noel would be more of an exploration than anything else. Both teams stand very little to lose, and have shown to be something of a not great fit for their respective PF’s. In other words, swapping Noel for Faried seems like a harmless proposition.

Both players are contributors in shot blocking, rebounds, and paint-scoring. Denver is lining up for a future led by their currently developing youth, and adding Noel into that mix could help boost its potential success.

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On the other hand, the 76ers recently acquired some more seasoned players in guards Bayless and Henderson. They may be looking for a team more balanced with youth and experience, and adding a season forward like Faried may be the final piece.

All in all, this would be a low-risk trade option that could leave both players better fit for their new team’s direction. Why not?

Sacramento Kings get PF, Kenneth Faried

Mar 27, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay (8) dunks the ball against the Dallas Mavericks in the third quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Kings won 133-111. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY.

#1: Kenneth Faried to the Sacramento Kings

Rumors of Rudy Gay’s trade availability have recently surfaced. He is expected to opt out of his player option once the 2016-17 season concludes, which gives the Kings reason to trade him before then. If trading Kenneth Faried is a legitimate goal/option for the Nuggets, then they should look no further than Sacramento.

To start, Faried would make an excellent addition to the Kings. Not only would Fraied look great in purple and black, but his skill-set seems built for DeMarcus Cousins to flourish off of. Think about it. Cousins lives for post-up shot opportunities, and Kenneth Faried lives for offensive rebounds. Offensive boards are hard to grab (as a PF) when your team shoots a lot of threes, but on post up shots, the rebounds don’t go far. As a King, Faried could easily find himself averaging 4+ offensive boards a night, which means more second-chance shots for Boogie.

He could feed these boards back to Cousins and create a theoretically endless cycle of post-up shot opportunities. If you aren’t buying into Faried’s compatibility with the Kings, know that the trade machine shows this mock-trade giving the Kings a projected +2 wins. That could be the difference in making the playoffs or not. They would lose their starting SF in Gay, but they do have reserves at the position. This includes Omri Casspi, an excellent three-point shooter, who is perfectly capable of absorbing Gay’s starting role.

Rudy Gay as a Nugget

ESPN’s trade machine projects -5 wins coming from this deal, but it may also be unaware of Gay’s ability to transition into Denver’s starting PF. He and Faried are nearly the exact same size, both weighing just under 230 lbs, at 6’8″. Gay’s shooting abilities make him an excellent stretch-four option for the Nuggets. He also possesses star-like abilities (like Faried) in supplying a plethora of high-flying power dunks.

Imagine a versatile Nuggets’ forward rotation of Gay, Gallinari, Chandler, and Arthur, intertwine that with the similarly versatile front-court duo of Jokic and Nurkic, and then try to find a reason why the Nuggets should not pursue a Faried-for-Gay deal.

Good luck.

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