NBA Rumors: Analyzing Latest on Kenneth Faried, Austin Rivers and More
Less than a month remains before the NBA regular season officially kicks off, but rumors surrounding notable stars have already begun.
Kenneth Faried will reportedly earn a lucrative new contract with the Denver Nuggets. Meanwhile, talk of Austin Rivers being traded earlier in the offseason proves that teams are making waves on the rumor mill.
Myriad franchises are looking to clear room for the future, and Rivers is one name that has already surfaced. The Cleveland Cavaliers are another team facing a tough decision with Tristan Thompson.
Here's a look at the latest NBA rumors surrounding all three of the aforementioned players.
Kenneth Faried
Following his most productive season to date, Faried reportedly earned a contract extension with the Denver Nuggets. Faried was an integral part of Team USA's success in the FIBA Basketball World Cup and shined during his third season in Denver.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported the news of Faried's new contract:
"Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried has reached agreement on a five-year, $60 million contract extension, league sources told Yahoo Sports. ...
The deal includes a partial guarantee in the fifth year that assures Faried he will make no less than $52 million over the life of the contract, sources said.
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Entering his fourth year in the league, Faried has developed into a talented power forward out of Morehead State. The Manimal has a .554 career shooting percentage and has posted 8.6 rebounds per game.
Along with his consistency over his career, he's been a reliable forward who played in 80 games in each of the last two seasons. Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated offers his take on the forward's potential:
In order to assure a solid future, this is simply a deal the Nuggets needed to make. Locking up Faried for the future along with bringing back Arron Afflalo gives the team two offensive weapons.
Both players had their best offensive output last season and form a potent attack with Ty Lawson leading at the point. If all three remain healthy, Denver has a chance to make noise in the Western Conference after finishing 10 games below .500 in 2013-14.
Austin Rivers
Since his one season at Duke, Rivers hasn't quite lived up to the hype. The 10th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, Rivers has averaged just seven points and 1.8 rebounds per game during his first two seasons.
His numbers slightly improved in 2013-14, but it wasn't enough to keep the New Orleans Pelicans from looking to move him. Zach Lowe of Grantland reported the Pelicans attempted to deal Rivers to make room for Omer Asik during the offseason:
"The Pelicans considered both trading Rivers and waiving him with the stretch provision to make sure they had enough room to complete the Asik deal with Houston. To be clear: Stretching Rivers was an absolute last resort, and New Orleans demanded real assets for him in trade talks, per several league sources. ...
They could in theory re-sign [Asik] with cap room, but Rivers’s $3.1 million might torpedo that plan. And if Asik jumps ship, Rivers’s option could be the difference between major cap room and sub–$10 million room.
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Needless to say, Rivers' future might be in question in New Orleans. Lowe mentions that moving Rivers might have been a last resort, but this coming season will no doubt be a crucial one for Rivers.
Last season, Rivers saw his player efficiency rating (PER) jump from 5.9 to 11.6, according to Basketball-Reference.com. But for a second-year player with expectations as high as Rivers, he will need to crush those numbers to make a difference.
Sure, he still has plenty of potential for the future. If he can't realize that potential in the upcoming season, though, the Pelicans might need to start looking for other options at the position.
Tristan Thompson
There's plenty of reason for excitement surrounding the Cleveland Cavaliers organization, but the future of Tristan Thompson is still hanging in the balance.
Heading into the 2014-15 season, head coach David Blatt is still contemplating whether he'll start Thompson or Anderson Varejao. Meanwhile, Thompson might be heading to free agency after the upcoming year.
Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal wrote about the latest on Thompson:
"In fact, one league source thought it would be in Thompson’s best interest to take this to restricted free agency given the talent surrounding him. Love’s skills as a stretch power forward, coupled with Blatt’s system that balances the floor on offense, will often leave Thompson alone inside to grab rebounds and produce big numbers.
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A natural power forward, Thompson has shown versatility by adding weight and moving to the center position. Starting in all 82 games over the last two seasons, the former Texas standout is averaging 10.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game for his career.
Proving he's a team-first player with the switch, it appears Thompson will need to produce yet again to remain with the Cavs.
Whether it's in a backup role or as a starter, Thompson's 2014-15 season might be his most important one to date.
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