14 Trades Involving Kenneth Faried and a Western Conference Team
By Tim Hart
Sacramento Kings
Trade Machine Results: Nuggets -1 Wins, Kings -1 Wins
This trade would apparently hurt both teams slightly. This may very well be the case, but it is not a certainty.
Why the Kings would do it:
They are simply paying Rudy Gay way too much for his unreliable play. They could replace his with Kenneth Faried’s! All jokes aside, the addition of Faried would bring more rebounding and second-chance looks to Boogie Cousins’ squad, all at a lower salary than Rudy Gay’s.
Interestingly, the Trade Machine values Faried’s presence as higher than Gay’s. Due to this, the swap of Cauley-Stein for Nurkic was thrown in, for balance. The Kings seem excited about their young big-man, and aren’t likely to give him up. Plus, they seem to have a lot of faith left in Gay, and don’t seem interested in talking trades with the Nuggets at all.
This trade is very unlikely to happen.
Why the Nuggets would do it:
The Nuggets could make a small-ball PF out of Gay. He is capable of hitting threes, and would certainly spread the floor. A big-three of Galinari, Gay, and Jokic could be dangerous. It wouldn’t put them into playoff talks, but it could certainly boost their performance as a team.
Acquiring Cauley-Steing for Nurkic, as their bench C, would mean sacrificing some potential for proven ability. Even still, Cauley-Stein has plenty of potential to explore. He may even evolve into one of the league’s leading big-men. Healthy competition could erupt between him and Nikola Jokic, which almost always makes both players better.
While the Trade Machine suggests a negative balance in this trade, it seems like the Nuggets could come out slightly more poised for success.
Next: San Antonio Spurs
