14 Trades Involving Kenneth Faried and a Western Conference Team
By Tim Hart
Phoenix Suns
Trade Machine Results: Nuggets +4 Wins, Phoenix Unaffected
The Suns have an excess of guards, and need players for their front-court. The Trade Machine suggests that this deal would land them their necessary pieces at no cost. On the Nuggets side, this deal projects a big time payoff.
Why the Suns would do it:
They are wasting money on Eric Bledsoe. Having him and Brandon Knight on the same team has been a fun experiment, but it has also been a huge bust. The Suns have more than enough talent at the guard position to make up for Bledsoe’s absence. They might not even notice that he’s gone! With that in mind, spending $14 million a year on Bledsoe seems rather pointless.
Faried could join their starting five, and give them more three-point opportunities. Teams often get great wide-open looks from beyond thanks to offensive rebounds. Fortunately, the offensive board is a specialty of Faried’s. His style of play could fit in quite well with the Suns, as they love to run a fast-paced offense.
The would also gain Malik Beasley, a high flying rookie SG with a huge upside. His game seems similar to that of Andrew Wiggins‘, and we all know how he turned out. The Suns would stand little to lose, and a decent amount to gain. Their team would have a clearer sense of direction, and a more complete roster.
Why the Nuggets would do it:
They would be adding a serious offensive weapon to their roster. Having Bledsoe as their starting SG would undoubtadly mean a more productive offense. He does have less size and defensive accountability than Harris. However, Harris is a somewhat undersized SG already, and Mudiay is an over-sized PG.
The fact is that Bledsoe can nail threes, drive to the basket, hit free throws, make assists, and rebound. He is a fantastic player and the Nuggets would be lucky to have him. As it stands, the Suns are lucky to have him, but his presence seems wasted. I’d be curious to see how his skills would play out as a Nugget. It could lead to a new peak in his NBA career.
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