The 2016 NBA Draft is finally here and so is all the speculation and rumors surrounding the Denver Nuggets.
There is still a few hours before the Nuggets officially hit the clock; however, there are already some rumors floating around the league that the Nuggets are either involved in or can be shortly.
Here is some of the latest buzz surrounding the Nuggets and the NBA draft:
REPORT: The Minnesota Timberwolves are interested in trading for Kenneth Faried
According to Sean Deveney of SportingNews.com the Nuggets have been looking to move Kenneth Faried more than anyone else.
Tom Thibodeau and his Timberwolves have been connected being that Thibodeau was an assistant coach on the 2014 USA Olympic team that featured Faried.
In his report, Deveny goes on to explain how Thibodeau thinks very highly of Faried, meaning a trade between the two could seriously materalize.
One idea is that the Nuggets would surrender the seventh overall pick and Faried in exchange for the 5th pick in the draft; however, I think the Nuggets could possibly pull off a deal without having to surrender the seventh pick.
In an article by Ben Beecken of Dunking with Wolves, Beecken states the the Wolves may consider taking the 15th pick in the draft in the deal. This ultimately shows that the Wolves do not have their heart set on any player with the fifth pick, meaning the Nuggets could swoop in for the kill.
In order for this to go down the Wolves will have to value Faried higher than anyone available when they pick whether that be at No. 5, No. 7, or possibly No. 15.
The Wolves are stacked with youngsters, so maybe bringing in an established guy like Faried would be the best for them.
Nets place Thaddeus Young on the block
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the Brooklyn Nets have placed Thaddeus Young on the trading block in hopes of acquiring a first round pick.
Sources: Several Western teams aggressive on Thad Young, whom Brooklyn's working to move to highest bidder. This gets Nets into first-round.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 23, 2016
The Nets will move Young to the “highest bidder” and if the Nuggets are interested they could swing a deal for the 28-year-old.
At this point in time no one knows which team’s are in the running for Young; however, the Nuggets have the assets the Nets might want to get a deal done.
With the 15th and 19th picks up for grabs the Nuggets could give up one of the two to close a deal.
Young averaged 15.1 points and 9.0 rebounds last season.
The Nuggets need scoring and rebounding, both of which Young can do. Young is also under team control through the 2017-2018 season with a player option for the following year. At an average salary of $13.5 million per season Young’s contract is a good one.
Nuggets “most likely to pull off a deal”
Deveney also says the Denver Nuggets are the team that has emerged as the “most likely to pull off a deal”.
Of the teams most often rumored to be involved in a draft-day trade, sources say the Nuggets have emerged as the most likely to pull off a deal, whether ahead of Thursday’s draft or soon thereafter.
They have entertained offers since the trade deadline last year, but have yet to make a serious move.
In his report, Deveney reports that the Nuggets have received offers for Danilo Galinari.
The only Nuggets players believed to be off limits are Emmanuel Mudiay and Nikola Jokic, everyone else could be made available via trade.
With five picks total in the draft the Nuggets have to think about trading those picks due to the fact that their roster is not capable of adding even three new faces in the coming year.
With all the rumors surrounding the team it is expected that the organization will pull the trigger on a deal whether it be on draft night or during the free agency period.
Draft coverage begins at 5 p.m. MT.