Kenneth Faried Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz, Speculation Surrounding Nuggets Star
Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried is one of the latest NBA stars to have his name on the trading block. Faried has drawn interest from the Sacramento Kings and head coach George Karl, setting him up for a potential reunion with his former coach.
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Karl Wants Faried and Co. Back
Tuesday, June 23
CBS Sports' Ken Berger reported that Sacramento Kings head coach Karl wants to put "the band back together." Sources told Berger that Karl wants to acquire Faried along with Ty Lawson and Wilson Chandler from the Denver Nuggets.
Karl coached the Nuggets from 2004-13, leading Faried in his first two seasons in the league when he was selected 22nd overall in the 2011 draft. The Nuggets made the playoffs in both of those seasons, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors in the first round, respectively.
This comes with the news that Karl wants to trade star forward DeMarcus Cousins, but according to ESPN's Chris Broussard, Kings ownership does not. ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported the Nuggets were interested Cousins, along with the Lakers and Boston Celtics.
The acquisition of Faried would not come quickly for the Kings, though, according to Berger: "His contract includes a poison-pill provision; his incoming salary for the Kings ($10.45 million) would be vastly greater than his outgoing salary for the Nuggets ($2.25 million) if traded during the current league year."
The Kings have not made the playoffs since 2006 and have not finished higher than 11th in the Western Conference since that time. It seems Kings management has had enough of their mediocrity, as Berger reported an NBA executive told CBS Sports that "they have everyone on the table."
Last season Faried averaged 12.6 points per game and 8.9 rebounds with the Nuggets, who missed the playoffs for the second straight season. The Nuggets seem to be trying to overhaul their roster as well, as ESPN Insider Chad Ford (h/t Pro Basketball Talk) reported that Denver has expressed interest in sending Lawson to the Kings.
Faried signed a five-year, $60 million extension in October of 2014, per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, and is set to make $11.2 million in the 2015-16 season.
*Contract figures courtesy of Rotoworld.
